The UN reports that many of the people in Gaza receiving medical attention for wounds following a rush on an aid truck on Thursday were shot, underscoring the horrifying aftermath of the current Israel-Gaza war.
UN observers observed a portion of the 200 or so patients who were still being treated at the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the vast majority of cases were related to gunshot wounds received during the intensifying fighting.
While Israel claims most civilian deaths occurred in a stampede following warning shots from its troops, Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza, has accused Israel of firing at people.
Global leaders have demanded a thorough probe. ( Israel-Gaza War )
The incident started in the early hours of Thursday morning when hundreds of Palestinians swarmed on an aid truck that was being followed by the Israeli troops down a seaside road.
The World Food Programme has issued a warning that there could soon be a famine in northern Gaza, where an estimated 300,000 people lack access to clean water and food. The region has gotten very little relief in recent weeks.
There are gunshots audible in the video from the location, and witnesses can be seen scurrying over lorries and hiding behind them.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, the incident resulted in at least 112 deaths and 760 injuries.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokeswoman, Danial Hagari, stated in a social media message that “dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling.”
Additionally, Lt Col Peter Lerner said to Channel 4 News that Israeli troops “cautiously [tried] to disperse the mob with a few warning shots” after a “mob stormed the convoy”.
Additionally, Lt Col Peter Lerner said to Channel 4 News that Israeli troops “cautiously [tried] to disperse the mob with a few warning shots” after a “mob stormed the convoy”.
The Israeli prime minister’s special assistant, Mark Regev, had earlier informed CNN that “Palestinian armed groups” were the source of the shooting and that Israel was not actively involved in it, though he did not offer any proof.
A representative for UN chief António Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, stated on Friday that a UN team had visited al-Shifa Hospital earlier in the day and seen “a large number of gunshot wounds” among the survivors.
He claimed he was unaware that any of the killed individuals’ remains had been examined by the crew.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Dr. Mohamed Salha, the hospital’s temporary manager, stated that 176 patients—142 of them suffered bullet wounds—had been admitted to al-Awda.
He went on to say that the others in the stampede had suffered shattered limbs.
Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary for the United Kingdom, responded to the tragedy by calling the fatalities “horrific” and asserting that “an urgent investigation and accountability” were necessary.
“This has to stop happening,” he declared.
He continued, calling the current situation “simply unacceptable” and saying that the tragedy could not be isolated from the “inadequate aid supplies” that were entering Gaza.
Announcing that the US would start airdropping aid into Gaza, US President Joe Biden stated, “Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families.” The United States will do more, and we must do more.”
The Israeli military began a massive air and ground campaign to destroy Hamas, which the UK, Israel, and other countries have designated as a terrorist organization, after its members massacred over 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and abducted 253 more into Gaza.
Since then, over 30,000 people have died in Gaza, including 21,000 women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. At least 70,450 people have also been injured, and about 7,000 individuals have gone missing.
