More than 100 people were killed amid devastating scenes in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops opened fire Thursday, triggering panic as hungry Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, Palestinian officials and eyewitnesses said.
People had swarmed around newly arrived aid trucks in western Gaza City in the hope of getting food, when Israeli forces started shooting, according to witnesses. Many of the victims died when they were run over by trucks in the ensuing panic, according to one account.
In a briefing on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesperson said he couldn’t confirm the death toll. “I don’t have any figures,” he said, adding that “it was a limited response.”
The tragedy comes as the death toll in the Gaza war surpasses 30,000, with more than a half a million people in the enclave on the brink of famine, according to United Nations agencies, and as negotiations between Israel and Hamas reach a potentially pivotal moment.
The incident unfolded early on Friday when a group of trucks carrying desperately needed aid arrived at Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, in the Sheikh Ajleen neighbourhood.
A local journalist in Gaza, Khader Al Za’anoun, who was at the scene and witnessed the incident, said large crowds had gathered waiting for food to be distributed from aid trucks. But he said that the chaos and confusion that led to people being hit by the trucks only started once Israeli forces opened fire.
Israel confirmed its forces fired on people, saying crowds had threatened their troops, but disputed the account given by the ministry.
An Israeli military spokesperson later said in a briefing that there were two separate incidents involving aid trucks.
First, he said trucks went to the north and were swarmed by crowds, with trucks running over people. Subsequently, he said, a group of Palestinians approached Israeli forces, who then opened fire on the Palestinians.
“The truckloads went into the north, then there was the stampede, and then afterwards, there was the event against our forces. That’s how things transpired this morning,” the spokesman said.
At a press conference Thursday, the IDF spokesperson Daniel Hargari denied there was an IDF strike on the aid convoy. However, he said Israeli tanks had fired warning shots to “cautiously” disperse a crowd after seeing that people were being trampled, sharing a short video, which appeared to show a tank driving parallel to the crowd, several meters away.
He insisted that the tanks were there “to secure the humanitarian corridor” so the aid convoy could reach its destination.
Aid deliveries have dwindled since Israel launched its ground offensive in Gaza, leaving many in the already impoverished enclave on the brink of starvation. Drone footage taken by the IDF showed thousands of Palestinians gathering around the aid trucks in northern Gaza.
The US State Department said Thursday that the US was pressing Israel for answers as they conduct an investigation. “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed over the course of this conflict, not just today, but over the past nearly five months,” said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller at a press briefing.
Meanwhile, there are fears – acknowledged by US President Joe Biden – that the killings on Thursday will complicate hostage and truce talks.
“Negotiations are not an open process,” senior Hamas member Ezzat Al-Risheq said in a statement published by Hamas on Telegram. “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.”
International outcry
Various members of the international community have condemned the incident, described by the Palestinian United Nations Ambassador as “an outrageous massacre.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said “desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the besieged north where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week,” according to his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Colombia announced it would suspend the purchase of weapons from Israel after the bloody incident, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro posting, “This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust even if the world powers do not like to recognize it.”
Saudi Arabia also condemned the incident, calling on the international community “to take a firm stance by obliging Israel to respect international humanitarian law,” while the UAE called for “an independent and transparent investigation.”
Oxfam said the deaths will “only exacerbate an already critical humanitarian crisis.”
The incident comes as the death toll for those killed in Gaza since the October 7 attacks passed 30,000. Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but has said in recent updates that around 70% of the casualties are women and children.
The conflict in Gaza began when Hamas launched surprise cross-border attacks into Israel, killing at least 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage.
This is a developing story and will be updated.