According to an Israeli military spokesman, two incidents occurred: in the first, numerous people gathered around the trucks to loot them – which would have caused chaos and crowding. Furthermore, people were run over by trucks. Then, a group approached the soldiers, despite warning shots. They shot “at those who posed a threat.”
Hamas, however, accused the Israeli army of deliberately attacking the crowd in Gaza City and opening fire on the waiting crowd. Israel rejected the information without providing a specific number of victims. Both Israeli and Palestinian accounts cannot be independently verified. The Israeli army announced an investigation into the incident and aerial photos of the incident were also released.
APA/AFP/Aline Manoukian The military released aerial photos intended to confirm Israel's account of the incident
Report: Ten dead after Israeli shooting
In the afternoon, the Times of Israel released the initial results: around ten people were hit by shots fired by Israeli soldiers. Rescuers said they were overwhelmed by the number of injured and the severity of the injuries. Dozens of victims were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, which was only partially operational due to the Israeli attacks.
There has not been an incident with so many civilian casualties in the Gaza war for weeks. Hamas said the development could jeopardize talks in Qatar on a ceasefire. US President Joe Biden also said in Washington, when questioned by a journalist, that the incident would make negotiations more difficult. The exact process is being verified. Biden referred to the two different representations: “I don’t have an answer yet.”
AP injured at Al-Shifa Hospital
Guterres condemns deadly “acts of violence”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident. “We don’t know exactly what happened,” his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday in New York. “But whether these people were killed by Israeli gunfire, whether they were crushed by the crowd or run over by trucks, these are acts of violence that are in some way linked to this conflict.” The UN is scheduled to meet on Thursday -Security Council met on the case.
The Cairo government accused Israel of opening fire on the waiting crowd. Egypt strongly condemns “Israel’s inhumane attack on a crowd of defenseless Palestinian civilians awaiting the arrival of aid trucks,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Saudi Arabia and Jordan also criticized Israel over the incident.
UN denounces “carnage”.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday as “carnage”. There are war crimes and human rights violations on both sides. The number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war has risen to more than 30,000, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. Nearly 70,500 people were injured.
USA: 25 thousand women and children killed since October
Hamas' figures cannot be independently verified, but US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also provided figures on Thursday: More than 25,000 Palestinian women and children have been killed. Türk cited casualty figures released by Hamas at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and said tens of thousands of people were also missing and believed to be buried under the rubble of their homes.
debate
What might the future of the Gaza Strip be like?
However, the United Nations and other observers point out that the authority's figures have proven to be globally credible in the past. Information provided by the Hamas health authority does not distinguish between civilians and armed members of terrorist organizations. When questioned, the Israeli army said it had killed around “10,000 terrorists”.
“The war must end”
In his speech, Türk once again condemned the trigger for the Israeli military offensive: the massacres perpetrated by Palestinian extremists in Israel on October 7 and the abduction of civilians as hostages in the Gaza Strip. But he also condemned “the brutality of the Israeli response.” “The war in Gaza must end,” Türk demanded.
APA/AFP/Fabrice Coffrini Türk makes urgent appeals to both sides
“Time for peace, education and accountability”
“All parties committed clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including war crimes and potentially other crimes under international law. The time has come – long overdue – for peace, enlightenment and accountability,” said the Austrian-born lawyer.
Israel used thousands of tons of munitions on densely populated residential areas in the Gaza Strip. These included weapons that caused widespread damage, Türk said. These weapons produce a shock wave that can rupture human organs and cause severe burns.
“Indiscriminate or disproportionate” attacks
“Over the past five months of war, the Office has recorded numerous incidents that indicate war crimes committed by the Israeli armed forces, as well as indications that the Israeli armed forces attacked indiscriminately or disproportionately, in violation of international humanitarian law,” Türk said. Blocking the delivery of aid and therefore using starvation as a method of warfare could, if carried out knowingly, potentially constitute war crimes.
Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar defended Israel's actions. His country is at war against a terrorist organization. Hamas created the battlefield in Gaza. Because the fighters were hiding behind civilians, Israel had no choice but to attack there. Israel is doing everything it can to comply with international humanitarian law, for example by warning the population about air strikes.
Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khuraish responded that children and women queuing desperately to get something to eat were being bombed. He accused Israel of genocide. He condemned the October 7 attacks. But the era did not begin that day; Israel has oppressed Palestinians for decades.