Gazans die in food aid convoy chaos
ISRAELI forces opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians pulling food off aid trucks, it was claimed yesterday.
More than 100 died, taking the toll in Gaza since the start of the Israelhamas conflict to more than 30,000, Palestinian health officials said.
Kamel Abu Nahel, who was treated at Al-shifa Hospital for a gun wound, was at the distribution point near Gaza City. “We’ve been eating animal feed for two months,” he said, adding troops fired on the crowd and again when people returned to the trucks.
Israeli military officials said 30 trucks driving to northern Gaza were met by huge crowds trying to grab aid. Dozens were killed in the stampede and some were run over as the drivers tried to get away, said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
He said troops fired warning shots toward the crowd because they felt endangered, adding: “We didn’t open fire on those seeking aid. Contrary to accusations, we didn’t open fire on a humanitarian aid convoy. We secured it so it could reach northern Gaza.”
At least 104 people were killed and around 760 were wounded, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-qidra said, describing it as a “massacre”.
The ministry said the Palestinian death toll from the war is now at 30,035, with 70,457 wounded.
Aid groups say it is near-impossible to deliver assistance in most of Gaza due to the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military.
The UN says a quarter in Gaza face starvation.
The Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war killed 1,200 and the militants took around 250 hostages.