What a load of crap. These 700 Gazans (or 1,000 or whatever) just decided to spontaneously stampede. The Israelis had nothing to do with it.
I don't get what all the complaining is about. If the Palestinians are unhappy getting their ass bombed off they should move somewhere else like Club Med in Jamaica. It's awesome this time of year.
Hamas Says at Least 100 Gazans Killed Waiting for Aid; Israeli Army: Most Deaths Caused by Stampede
Hamas-run Gaza health ministry spokesman said that at least 700 were wounded in the incident; The IDF claims the bulk of deaths is from overcrowding and trampling, while Hamas claims that the Israeli army fired into the crowd
The Associated PressJack KhouryReutersBen Samuels
Feb 29, 2024 12:18 pm IST
Over 100 people were killed and at least 760 were wounded while storming humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza, the deaths are a result of soldiers firing into the crowd. The IDF says the bulk of deaths is a result of being trampling and overcrowding, and that shooting only occurred when its troops felt threatened.
Fares Afana, the head of the ambulance service at Kamal Adwan Hospital, said medics arriving at the scene found "dozens or hundreds" lying on the ground. He said there were not enough ambulances to collect all the dead and wounded and that some were being brought to hospitals on donkey carts.
Responding to the attack in a statement, Hamas said that the incident could lead to the failure of negotiations regarding a cease-fire and a hostage release deal.
"The negotiations conducted by the movement's leadership are not an open process at the expense of the blood of our people," it said, referring to Thursday's deaths and saying Israel would be responsible for any failure of the talks.
The IDF released details from an initial probe into the incident along with a video documenting it. According to the Israeli army, 30 aid trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing early in the morning and proceeded northward. Upon reaching the junction in Gaza City, the trucks were stormed by residents, resulting in dozens being killed in the crush.
The trucks continued northward, and upon reaching the Rimal neighborhood, reports emerged of armed individuals shooting at the trucks and looting them.
At that point, according to the Israeli army, some of the crowd began to approach an IDF unit in the area, prompting soldiers to fire warning shots into the air from a distance of tens of meters before eventually aiming at the legs of those who continued to advance towards them.
An Israeli government spokesperson said the attack is "a tragedy," and echoed the army's stance, according to which most deaths were caused by the stampede around the aud trucks. "It's obviously a tragedy but we're not sure of the specifics quite yet," spokesperson Avi Hyman told reporters.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said the incident took place at al-Nabusi roundabout west of Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.
Medical teams were unable to cope with the volume and severity of injuries from dozens of wounded people who arrived at al-Shifa hospital, Qidra said.
The head of Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City, Hussam Abu Safieyah, said it had received 10 dead bodies and dozens of wounded patients from the incident west of the city.
"We don't know how many there are in other hospitals," Safieyah told Reuters by phone.
Dr. Mohammad Salha, the acting director of the Al-Awda Hospital, said it received 90 wounded and three dead, who were transferred to Kamal Adwan.
"We expect a rise in the number killed," he said. "There are many wounded still at the reception and the emergency room." According to Salha, Al-Awda is largely out of commission, with no electricity and the operating room running on battery power with only hours left. Gaza's health sector is under severe strain nearly five months into the war.
The incident in Gaza occurred within hours of USAID administrator Samantha Power's visit to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where she implored Israel to increase the amount of aid and open additional crossings.
"It is absolutely clear that as conditions continue to deteriorate in Gaza for the Gazan people, two crossings is not enough," she said. "We are talking to Israeli officials about the need to open up far more crossings, far more passages into Gaza, so that vitally needed humanitarian assistance can be dramatically surged. This is a matter of life and death," she added.
U.S. officials noted that the incident highlights the need to get a temporary cease-fire in place as soon as possible, particularly as Ramadan begins in a week-and-a-half, given the increasingly desperate nature of the Gaza humanitarian crisis.
A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said, "This is a serious incident, and we are looking into the reports. We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognize the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families. This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary cease-fire. We continue to work day and night to achieve that outcome."
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