Decades of civilians died this Sunday at two locations in the Gaza Strip as the Israeli military opened fire on people waiting for or transporting humanitarian aid, amid a famine crisis, according to medical sources and the enclave’s Health Ministry.
“The occupying Israeli forces committed a horrific massacre in which dozens died and others were wounded at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City,” said the Health Ministry, which is controlled by the political wing of Hamas, in a statement.
The victims were in that northern area of the enclave waiting for flour trucks, a ministry spokesperson told EFE, explaining that precise numbers are unavailable because “the bodies lie scattered in the street and no one dares to count them due to the high danger in the area.”
No response from Israel
The Israeli Army said it is conducting a systematic operation against hundreds of thousands of hungry people in northern Gaza, as highlighted by the Health Ministry. When contacted by EFE, the Army did not provide its version of the events.
In Deir al-Balah, in the center of the Strip, at least five people died and four more were wounded when an Israeli drone opened fire on them as they rode in a truck, according to the Red Crescent emergency service, which attended to the victims.
A spokesman for the Red Crescent told EFE that the total dead and injured in the incident is likely higher, as ambulances from other emergency services assisted additional people.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the small truck carried humanitarian aid and that at least eight people were killed, but a military spokesperson told EFE that the vehicle “apparently did not involve aid,” though further details were promised later.
On Saturday, Israel also attacked a crowd of civilians waiting for aid near the Al Nabulsi roundabout in southern Gaza City, leaving one dead and 26 injured, Wafa reported.
Medical sources treating the victims told Palestinian media that most injuries were gunshot and shrapnel wounds, while Hamas accused Israel of carrying out a premeditated attack on civilians awaiting assistance.
“A stampede”
However, the Israeli Army asserted on Sunday that troops did not attack the humanitarian convoy, though some soldiers fired at looters who approached too closely and posed an immediate threat.
“Most Palestinians died or were injured as a result of the stampede,” reiterated Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson, in a recorded address announcing that a thorough investigation into the events remains open.