Israeli Forces Fire at Gazans Waiting for Food Aid, Killing at Least 100, Injuring Over 760 Others
HAVANA TIMES – Authorities in Gaza say Israeli forces have committed a massacre in Gaza City, killing at least 104 Palestinians as they waited for food aid. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 760 people were wounded in what Hamas called an “unprecedented war crime.” According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd who had gathered around humanitarian aid trucks. The death toll is expected to rise as hospitals in Gaza City are struggling to treat the wounded. Dr. Jadallah al-Shafei of Al-Shifa Hospital spoke to Al Jazeera shortly after the attack.
Dr. Jadallah al-Shafei: “Since the early hours of the morning, the hospital has been flooded with dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of injured. The majority of the victims suffered gunshot wounds and shrapnel in the head and upper parts of their bodies. They were hit by direct artillery shelling, drone missiles and gunfire. All our operation rooms are full, and all medical staff have been deployed. Above all, we ran out of medical supplies and fuel necessary to operate the hospital. We hope we will be able to provide any life-saving procedures to those victims. All victims are in critical condition. They’re lying on the floor. We stand helpless amid the sharp shortage of supplies and staff.”
This comes as Palestinian officials say the death toll in Gaza since October 7 has topped 30,000. The staggering milestone, which does not account for thousands still missing or trapped under rubble, represents one out of every 75 people in Gaza. The U.N. says over half a million people in Gaza are on the cusp of starvation. The Gaza Health Ministry reports six children recently died from dehydration and malnutrition. Seven other children are in critical condition. After headlines, we will speak to Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who recently visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.
Sooke, the reality is Israel does not allow other international journalists, and there are many requesting, to report from Gaza unless they are on one of their IDF guided tours. The Arab reporters in Gaza are our only window to what is happening on the ground. Many have been killed when reporting. The IDF war propaganda is just that. The reporters from Al Jazeera, for example, are not Hamas, which occasionally gives their view of events which one can believe or not just like the IDF statements always justifying their killings. I believe the brave on the ground reporters covering wars are essential to forming an opinion of what’s happening.
You can always count on “Gazan authorities ” to speak the truth. But just for laughs, here is the IDF explanation of events:
“Speaking in English in a Thursday evening press conference, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that troops had fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the mob of Palestinians.
“This morning, the IDF coordinated a convoy of 38 trucks to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the residents of northern Gaza. This humanitarian aid came from Egypt, went through a security screening at the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing in Israel, and then entered Gaza, for distribution by private contractors,” Hagari said.
“As these vital humanitarian supplies made their way toward Gazans in need, thousands of Gazans [rushed] the trucks, some began violently pushing and trampling other Gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies.”
“Here are the facts: At 4:40 a.m., the first aid truck in the humanitarian convoy started making its way through the humanitarian corridor that we were securing,” Hagari continued. “Our tanks were there to secure the humanitarian corridor for the aid convoy. Our UAVs were there in the air to give our forces a clear picture from above.”
“At 4:45 a.m., a mob ambushed the aid trucks, bringing the convoy to a halt,” he said, showing a new video of the incident.
“In this video, the tanks that were there to secure the convoy saw the Gazans being trampled and cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots,” he said. “When the hundreds became thousands and things got out of hand, the tank commander decided to retreat to avoid harm to the thousands of Gazans that were there.”
“You can see how cautious they were when they were backing up. They were backing up securely, risking their own lives, not shooting at the mob,” he continued, insisting that the army “operates according to the rules of engagement and international law.”
“No IDF strike was conducted toward the aid convoy,” Hagari said. “On the contrary, the IDF was there carrying out a humanitarian aid operation, to secure the humanitarian corridor, and allow the aid convoy to reach its distribution point, so that the humanitarian aid could reach Gazan civilians in the north who are in need.””
The Israelis also provided drone footage of the “massacre”. The video must have been doctored. Those barbaric Israelis.
Hamas – never letting the truth get in the way of a good story.