Israel faces mounting condemnation over killing of Palestinians in Gaza City aid distribution melee

March 1, 2024 Benjamin Hughes

On Friday, China and Turkey united with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan in denouncing Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military has been reported for shooting at Palestinians.

France has requested an impartial investigation to be conducted into the recent event in Gaza where aid delivery was delayed. The foreign ministry labeled the incident as another act of inhumanity.

“Our team will request clarification, and it is necessary to conduct an impartial investigation to determine the cause of the event,” stated French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne during an interview with the national Inter broadcaster on Friday.

The spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, expressed shock and denounced the violence against innocent civilians. They also called for an immediate end to the conflict, particularly from Israel, in order to protect the safety of civilians and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered, ultimately preventing a larger humanitarian crisis.

Tel Aviv Rally Decries Human Cost Of Israel-Hamas War — On February 29, 2024, a group of demonstrators in Gaza City gathered to demand a stop to the ongoing conflict and to denounce the loss of more than 100 lives earlier that day. The emergency rally also aimed to call attention to the need for improved conditions for both Israelis and Palestinians, and the return of Israeli hostages.

Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty

Israel stated that numerous individuals lost their lives in a disordered stampede for the distributed food supplies. They also claimed that their soldiers only resorted to using their weapons when they perceived a threat from the crowd.

Israel launched its war on Hamas nearly five months ago in response to the group’s brutal terror attack on Oct. 7. That attack left about 1,200 people dead and saw Hamas take almost 250 others hostage.

120
-mile-long humanitarian crisis

Israel launched a powerful attack in the Gaza Strip, causing a humanitarian crisis that spans 120 miles.humanitarian catastrophe

Extreme destruction and devastation in the northern regions, particularly in Gaza City, where they have been mostly isolated from the rest of the territory with minimal aid being supplied.

Biden states that the fatalities in the Gaza aid convoy will add difficulty to the efforts of achieving a cease-fire.

The global community was urging Israel to minimize harm to innocent civilians while pursuing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objective to “eliminate Hamas” in Gaza. The call for action intensified after a fatal incident on Thursday near Gaza City.

Early-morning footage streamed by Al Jazeera captured the outbreak of gunfire as numerous desperate Palestinians gathered, hoping to receive food from a rare humanitarian convoy that arrived in the area.

In the video, tracer rounds of ammunition are visible shooting through the air, originating from an Israeli military location.

Imtiaz Tyab, a correspondent for CBS News, stated that the devastation of the fight became evident with the sun’s rise. Medical personnel reported numerous deaths and injuries, and doctors at Gaza City’s struggling hospitals told CBS News that the majority of casualties were caused by gunshots.

The Israel Defense Forces released a drone video capturing a large group of Palestinians gathering around aid trucks at a distribution point near Gaza City on February 29, 2024. The IDF reported that dozens of individuals were fatally trampled in the chaos.

IDF handout

The IDF shared a modified video from a drone recording with poor quality, depicting a large crowd surrounding aid trucks. They claimed the video demonstrated the number of casualties in a stampede. However, the IDF also admitted to firing at a smaller group of individuals who were deemed a danger to the soldiers.

When questioned by CBS News about the nature of the threat and if any of the Palestinians had fired at the Israeli soldiers, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner stated that anyone who approached the forces after being advised not to was considered a threat.

People who were present do not refute that there was a frantic scramble for food in the emaciated city, however numerous individuals have reported that the Israeli soldiers indiscriminately began shooting without any provocation.

According to eyewitness Anwar Helewa, we hurried towards the food assistance. However, the soldiers began shooting at us, causing us to abandon the food and flee.

Rephrased: “Details on Palestinians who lost their lives in Gaza while awaiting assistance, as of 06:55.”

Leaders of the Palestinian community have referred to the event in Gaza as a “cruel and vicious mass killing.”

Biden referred to the event as a “distressing and concerning” occurrence and resuming his conversation with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, who the U.S. has been assisting in brokering a fresh truce and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas. The potential agreement would also probably involve a notable rise in the delivery of aid to Gaza, where the UN reports that approximately 500,000 individuals are on the brink of severe hunger.

Source: cbsnews.com