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The UN and a number of other nations have demanded an inquiry into the over 100 Palestinian fatalities that occurred during an assistance delivery in Gaza.
As crowds gathered around relief trucks on Thursday, at least 117 people lost their lives and over 760 were wounded.
UN Secretary General António Guterres called for immediate assistance for “desperate civilians” and denounced the act.
While Israel claimed that majority of the people perished in a crush after it fired warning shots, Hamas accused Israel of shooting at civilians.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that civilians had been “targeted by Israeli soldiers” on Thursday, sparking further international criticism of Israel.
Josep Borell, the head of EU foreign policy, called the tragedy “totally unacceptable carnage”.
Mr. Guterres responded to the event by posting on social media, saying, “I condemn Thursday’s incident in Gaza in which more than 100 people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid.”
“The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the UN has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week.”
Germany, France, and Italy demanded on Friday an impartial inquiry into the fatalities in the relief convoy.
Palestinians with injuries were brought to Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital for medical attention.
A “massacre” was declared by Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.
The UN Security Council called an emergency meeting behind closed doors to address the event. Algeria, the body’s Arab representative, presented a draft statement accusing Israeli soldiers of “opening fire” during the meeting.
The US vetoed the proposal, despite the fact that 14 of the 15 members of the Council backed it, according to the AP news agency, which cited Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour in an interview with reporters following the meeting. According to US envoy Robert Wood, the incident’s specifics are yet unknown.
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Over 30,000 people have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry headed by Hamas.
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Examining Israel’s assertion that 10,000 Hamas militants had been slain
Ramzi Mohammed Rihan, who was hurt during the rush, gave an account of what he witnessed.
He stated: “We were informed that a shipment of flour would arrive through Al-Nabulsi Street and that there would be no shooting.”To feed our kids, we went to get flour. There was shooting on Nabulsi Street before the trucks arrived.
“As the trucks entered, we headed towards them, and as we tried to get the first bag of flour out of the truck, they began to fire at us.”
Mr. Rihan said that his X-rays were delayed because there was no electricity when he was brought to the hospital on a cart.
Khaled al-Tarawish, who was also hurt, stated that his operation has been delayed because to al-Awada Hospital’s fuel shortage.
“I went to Nabulsi Street to get a bag of flour,” stated the man. “Because of the crowd I ran under the car, I went to the Awda hospital where they told me that I needed to have an operation but because there was no diesel fuel, they told me the operation would be carried out three days later.”All I want is for the hospital to have diesel fuel so I may have the procedure and receive my care.”
The Israel Defense personnel (IDF) characterized the convoy of thirty lorries bringing Egyptian aid as they were heading north via a “humanitarian corridor” that their personnel were guarding.
According to Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, the official spokesman for the IDF, crowds encircled the convoy and individuals started jumping on the vehicles.
“Some began violently pushing and even trampling other Gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies,” he stated. “The unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans killed and injured.”
He said that Israeli tanks “carefully attempted to scatter the crowd with a few warning shots” but withdrew “when the hundreds turned into thousands and the situation became uncontrollable.”
Aerial footage from the Israeli IDF saw hundreds of Palestinians swarming around relief trucks.
According to Lt Col Peter Lerner, another IDF spokesman, several people approached a checkpoint around 70 meters (230 feet) distant and disregarded the troops’ warning shots.
He added that the soldiers then launched what he called a “limited response” into individuals who were coming, believing that some of the civilians represented a threat.
Citing “undeniable” proof of “direct firing at citizens, including headshots aimed at immediate killing,” Hamas refuted the IDF’s claim.
The event occurred only hours before the health ministry of Gaza declared that since the battle began on October 7, more than 30,000 people, including 21,000 women and children, have died in Gaza. There were reportedly 70,450 injuries and almost 7,000 missing people.
Mr. Gutteres went on to say: “I am appalled by the tragic human toll of the conflict in Gaza – more than 30,000 people reportedly killed and over 70,000 injured.”I once again demand the unconditional release of all detainees and an urgent humanitarian ceasefire.”
Delivering help to a starving people without sufficient protection, according to Natalie Roberts, executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in the UK, is risking catastrophe.
Natalie Roberts stated: “We are aware that there haven’t been many relief convoys in the north over the past few weeks, leaving people without access to food.
We are aware from our own coworkers that they occasionally go days without meals and are forced to eat animal products. People are so utterly helpless, and this was obviously going to happen the moment you tried to provide food to the area without providing any kind of security for the convoy.”
In the northern part of the territory, where an estimated 300,000 people are living in poverty and without access to potable water, the UN is warning of an impending famine.
The Israeli military began a massive air and ground assault to eliminate Hamas, which the UK, Israel, and other countries have designated as a terrorist organization, after its members massacred over 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and abducted 253 more into Gaza.