THE international condemnation was unanimous this Friday after Israeli soldiers opened fire Thursday in Gaza on a hungry crowd rushing a humanitarian aid convoy, in a chaotic incident in which Hamas says more than 110 people died.
The United States, the European Union and the UN have called for an independent investigation into what happened.
According to the UN, 2.2 million of the 2.4 million inhabitants of this narrow Palestinian territory besieged by Israel are threatened by famine after almost five months of conflict, which according to Palestinian sources has caused the death of over 30,000 people.
On Thursday, a hospital doctor and witnesses said Israeli soldiers fired on a hungry crowd that had surrounded a humanitarian aid convoy in northern Gaza. According to the extremist group Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2007, 112 people have been killed and 760 injured.
An Israeli army officer confirmed “limited shooting” by soldiers who felt “threatened” and described “a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and wounded, some of them hit by aid trucks.” .
Palestinians in Gaza pray amid the rubble this Friday after an Israeli bombardment in front of a mosque in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: EFE Washington demands answers
US President Joe Biden admitted that this tragedy complicates negotiations for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian extremist movement Hamas.
Washington has demanded “answers” from Israel after Thursday’s tragedy called for a “thorough investigation”.
Along the same lines, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the leader of the European Council, Charles Michel, urged us to analyze what happened.
Germany and France have also called for an investigationwhile Italy and Spain considered it “urgent” to reach a truce.
China has called for a “ceasefire” and for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Saudi Arabia, a heavyweight in the Arab world, condemned “the attacks of the occupation forces against defenseless civilians”. The Arab League spoke of “a barbaric and brutal act that totally disregards human life”.
Qatar, one of the war’s main mediators, called for “international action to immediately end (Israeli) aggression.”
Injured Palestinians in a Gaza hospital this Friday. Photo: REUTERSThe Security Council met urgently behind closed doors on Thursday after UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by the tragedy and called for “an effective independent investigation”.
According to Hamas and several witnesses, Israeli soldiers positioned to protect the convoy fired on the crowd rushing towards the trucks.
During the night, new Israeli bombings were recorded against Gaza, especially in Khan Younis and Rafah, in the south of the enclave, where thousands of refugees are gathering.
There was also Clashes between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters in Gaza City and Khan Younis, according to witnesses.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 193 people have died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of victims to 30,228 deaths.
The truce is delayed
The conflict erupted on October 7, when Islamist commandos killed around 1,160 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped around 250 in southern Israel, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli data.
A week-long truce at the end of November allowed the exchange of around a hundred hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners and Israel estimates that around 130 people are still held captive30 of whom have since died.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground operation to “annihilate” Hamas, a movement it classifies, like the United States and the EU, as a “terrorist” organization.
Israel also imposed a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been trying for weeks to reach an agreement on a six-week truce, the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the entry of massive aid into Gaza.
After Thursday’s tragedy, Biden said there “probably” won’t be a deal before the start of Ramadan, which will begin around March 10 or 11, as previously thought.
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.