 "Shooting civilians or stampede? What led to deaths of 100 at aid point in Gaza?")
Thousands of Palestinians flocked to a distribution point on Thursday, desperate for food amid Gaza’s looming famine crisis. However, what followed next is horrific. Over 100 people died, in one of the worst single tragedies to occur during Israel’s war with Hamas, with eyewitnesses and Gazan officials alleging that Israeli forces opened fire at the civilians.
The deaths have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe. The United States said it was “urgently seeking additional information on exactly what took place”, adding that Washington would be monitoring an upcoming investigation closely and “pressing for answers”. France, too, condemned the incident, with President Emmanuel Macron saying “the fire by Israeli soldiers against civilians trying to access food is unjustifiable”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the killings would require an independent investigation, the Reuters news agency reports. Guterres added that he was “shocked” by the latest loss of life in Israel’s war on Gaza.
But what exactly happened on Thursday? What is each side — Israel and Hamas saying? What does this mean for the war?
What happened?
On early Thursday morning, a convoy of 38 trucks ferrying aid from Egypt arrived at Haroun Al Rasheed Street in Gaza City where crowds of hungry Palestinians had gathered for food aid. Gazans, who have been struggling with no food and a famine-like crisis, gathered at the spot in the hopes of getting some amount of food and aid.
However, here’s where things go awry and, according to civilians, Israeli forces began to open fire at them. The sudden firing led to the aid trucks trying to flee, accidentally ramming others and causing further deaths and injuries.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsLocal journalist in Gaza, Khader Al Za’anoun, who was at the scene, told CNN that while there were large crowds waiting for food to be distributed from aid trucks, the chaos and confusion that led to people being hit by the trucks only started once Israeli soldiers opened fire.
Another witness told AFP that the violence unfolded when soldiers opened fire at the crowds. “Trucks full of aid came too close to some army tanks that were in the area and the crowd, thousands of people, just stormed the trucks,” the witness said. “The soldiers fired at the crowd as people came too close to the tanks.”
As per the health ministry in Gaza, the incident led to the deaths of 112 people while another 760 have been wounded. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Gaza City’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, told AFP that all the casualties had been hit by “bullets and shrapnel from occupation forces”.
A video by Al Jazeera also reveals the first moments when the chaos breaks out at the aid distribution centre.
اللحظات الأولى لإطلاق الاحتلال النار باتجاه فلسطينيين ينتظرون وصول المساعدات في شارع الرشيد غربي #غزة#حرب_غزة pic.twitter.com/7VOHuZ2ygI
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) February 29, 2024
Ibrahim al-Rifi, 28, who was hoping to find food for some 60 family members at the aid point, told Washington Post that when the trucks arrived shortly after 4.30, the Israeli tanks started firing. He said that caused people to flee in every direction, but he stayed on the ground. However, he later realised that he was lying on top of the dead. “I crawled until I found an abandoned house and hid in it,” he said.
What does Israel say?
However, Israel has a differing view on the incident, saying it was a “stampede” that caused the fatalities.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, as the Gazan civilian truck drivers carrying humanitarian aid entered northern Gaza, residents overran the trucks and looted the supplies being delivered. As a result of the pushing, trampling, and being run over by the trucks as the drivers attempted to escape, tragically, dozens of Gazans were killed and injured. The IDF was not involved.
“At some point, the trucks were overwhelmed and the people driving the trucks, which were Gazan civilian drivers, plowed into the crowds of people, ultimately killing, as my understanding is, tens of people. I don’t have anything more specific to that. It is unfolding,” Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman said.
The IDF also released drone footage from the location, which shows the crowd running away from the trucks, with some people crawling behind walls, appearing to take cover. The video then reveals a dozen bodies on the ground.
An Israeli military official later revealed that there was firing from their end only when the Palestinians approached them in a threatening manner.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said “no IDF strike was conducted towards the aid convoy”, adding that the Israeli army was there “conducting a humanitarian operation to secure the humanitarian corridor and allow the aid convoy to reach its designated distribution point”.
“We recognize the suffering of the innocent people of Gaza. This is why we are seeking ways to expand our humanitarian efforts.”
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 29, 2024
Watch the full statement by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari on the incident regarding the humanitarian aid convoy the IDF facilitated. pic.twitter.com/m6Pve3Odqw
Nir Dinar, head of the IDF’s international press department, said the same, but acknowledged that IDF troops had fired at people who approached the forces in a threatening manner. However, he further added that the deaths occurred as the result of a crush at the other end of the convoy.
How has the world reacted?
The United States, an ally for Israel, has expressed condolences and said it was pressing for answers from Israel. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed over the course of this conflict, not just today, but over the past nearly five months. “We have been in touch with the Israeli government since early this morning and understand that an investigation is underway.”
The European Union also decried the tragedy, with EU’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell saying on X, “I am horrified by news of yet another carnage among civilians in Gaza desperate for humanitarian aid.”
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have condemned the deaths, calling for immediate action. While Qatar warned that Israel’s “disregard for Palestinian lives… will ultimately undermine international efforts aimed at implementing the two-state solution, and thus pave the way for the expansion of the cycle of violence in the region”, Saudi Arabia reiterated the need to reach an immediate ceasefire.
In what could be perceived as the strongest stance as of now, Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro suspended a purchase of weapons from Israel — a key arms supplier of the country. He said, “Asking for food, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by (Israeli prime minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. This is called genocide and recalls the Holocaust. “The world must block Netanyahu.”
Does this affect the war?
The timing of this tragedy is crucial in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, now in its 146th day. Many fear that this could upend the negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a deal to pause fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
**Also read: Palestinian UN ambassador pleads for Gaza aid deaths condemnation**In fact, Hamas senior member Izzat Al-Risheq in a message on Telegram said that “negotiations are not an open process”. “We will not allow for the pathway of the negotiations…[to become] a cover for the enemy’s continued crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip,” Al-Risheq said.
US president Joe Biden also said that the incident would complicate ceasefire negotiations, but hoped and emphasised on the need for such a deal. Asked if he was worried whether it would complicate the delicate negotiations for a ceasefire, Biden replied: “I know it will.”
With inputs from agencies
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