It is still unclear what exactly happened in Gaza City on Thursday. According to the Israeli army, a “crowd” occurred when thousands of people gathered around a convoy of 30 trucks carrying aid supplies. There were dozens of deaths and injuries, some of which were run over by trucks.
An Israeli army officer recognized a “limited” number of shots fired by Israeli soldiers who felt “threatened”. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said: “There was no attack by the Israeli military on the aid convoy.” What is certain is that dozens of Palestinians died. The Hamas-controlled health ministry said there were more than 100 dead and several hundred injured.
Macron called for an immediate ceasefire on Friday night. There is “great outrage at the images from Gaza, where civilians were targeted by Israeli soldiers”. Macron said on X (Twitter) that he “strongly condemns these shootings and demands truth, justice and respect for international law”. “The situation in Gaza is dramatic. All civilian populations must be protected.”
Deep indignation confronts the images that nous parviennent de Gaza ouù des civilians ont été pris pour cible par des soldiers israelis.
The expression is plus ferme réprobation envers ces tirs et demande la vérité, la justice et le respected du droit international.
-Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 29, 2024
“It will require explanations”
A statement from the French Foreign Ministry said France hopes the serious incident will be fully clarified. “In any case, it is Israel’s responsibility to respect the rules of international law and protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.”
Reactions to the deadly incident in Gaza
There were international reactions after the disaster that left dozens dead in a humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an independent investigation.
“We will demand explanations and there must be an independent investigation to determine what happened,” said French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne. France must speak out when “atrocities occur in Gaza”. The US also pressed for detailed information.
Borrell without direct blame
In a speech in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was shocked by the latest episode of the war. “I firmly believe that we need a humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and that we should have a Security Council capable of achieving these goals.”
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What might the future of the Gaza Strip be like?
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke of a “bloodbath among civilians in Gaza who desperately need humanitarian assistance.” Withholding food aid from people is “a serious violation” of international humanitarian law, Borrell wrote in X. Unlike Macron, Borrell did not explicitly assign blame.
Ankara sees “crimes against humanity”
China was also “shocked by this incident and strongly condemns it,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. “We express our sadness for the victims and our sympathy for the injured.” She called on “affected parties and in particular Israel” to end the fighting and “seriously protect” the security of the civilian population. Turkey clearly took sides: the fact that Israeli forces fired on Palestinians was “another crime against humanity”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara.
US voted against UN declaration
In New York, the UN Security Council discussed the incident in an emergency meeting behind closed doors. “The Security Council should say that the measure is complete,” said the Palestinian Authority's representative to the United Nations, Rijad Mansur, before the meeting.
Algeria submitted a draft statement expressing “deep concern” and blaming “Israeli army fire” for the escalation of the situation. Mansur said after the meeting that 14 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council supported the text. According to information from diplomatic media, the US veto power was against blaming Israel.
However, negotiations continued. US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, said a choice of words was being sought to reach a joint UN statement. “The problem is we don’t have all the facts.”