Gaza: calls for an investigation after a deadly humanitarian distribution, Biden resolves to aid drops
The international community called on Friday March 1 for a ceasefire in Gaza and an investigation after Israeli shooting and a stampede during a distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza City which turned into tragedy on Thursday February 29.
Shooting at this time left more than 110 dead, according to Hamas, in the Palestinian territory threatened by famine.
A Palestinian injured by Israeli gunfire while waiting for help, according to health authorities, lies on a bed at Al Shifa hospital amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the city of Gaza, March 1, 2024. © Kosay Al Nemer / Reuters
By: RFI with AFP
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Israel
's main ally
, Washington demanded “
answers
” from Benjamin Netanyahu's government after the tragedy during a distribution in
Gaza
City and pleaded for “
an agreement on a temporary ceasefire
”.
The
European Union
called for an investigation and a humanitarian ceasefire, while United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres
called for "
an effective independent investigation
".
France called for an
“independent investigation”
and Germany called for a
“humanitarian truce”
.
The UN Security Council is continuing its discussions on a draft declaration on the tragedy in Gaza.
“
A large number of gunshot wounds
”
On Thursday, witnesses said
Israeli soldiers fired on a hungry crowd
rushing toward humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza City.
The death toll is 115 dead and around 760 injured, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
An Israeli army official confirmed “
limited shooting
” by soldiers who felt “
threatened
” and spoke of “
a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and injured, some run over by aid trucks
”.
A UN team
, which visited injured people on Friday at al-Chifa hospital in Gaza City, noted " a large number
of
gunshot wounds
", said Mr. Guterres' spokesperson , Stéphane Dujarric.
He added that 200 injured people were still in this hospital out of more than 700 who had been transported there.
These figures contradict the Israeli claim of “
limited fire
”.
Humanitarian airdrop
“
Innocent people are trapped in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get help
,” US President Joe Biden said this Friday after announced Friday that the United States would participate "
in the coming days
" in humanitarian aid drops on the Gaza Strip, besieged by Israel since the start of the war against Hamas almost five months ago.
“
We will join our friends in Jordan and other countries in airdrops of food and other goods
” on Gaza, the president said.
Several countries have already dropped aid shipments, including Jordan with the support of several countries including France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as Egypt which took off several planes on Thursday in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.
According to the UN, 2.2 million people,
the vast majority of the population
, are threatened with famine in Gaza, particularly in the north where destruction, fighting and looting make the delivery of food almost impossible. 'help.
A famine
“
is almost inevitable, if nothing changes
,” the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, once again warned on Friday.
Cargoes only arrive in very limited quantities, mainly from Egypt via Rafah.
They are subject to the green light from Israel which imposes a blockade on the Gaza Strip.
“
We are going to press Israel to facilitate the entry of more trucks and to increase the access routes to Gaza (...) There is really not enough aid arriving in Gaza
,” Joe Biden said.
Read alsoGaza: the European Union will release 50 million euros for UNRWA
Many dead children
The war and shortages have notably brought the health system to its knees, making the delivery of humanitarian aid all the more necessary.
The Hamas Health Ministry said Friday that four children had died of "
malnutrition and dehydration
" at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli bombing operations and ground attacks
have so far caused at least 30,228 deaths in Gaza
.
On Friday, dozens of strikes again targeted Khan Younes and
Rafah in the south
, according to the Hamas government.
Ground fighting continues in Gaza City as well as in Khan Younes.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been trying for weeks to extract a compromise from both camps that would make possible a truce associated with new releases of hostages.
No concrete progress has been announced so far.
Hamas is demanding in particular a definitive ceasefire before any agreement on the release of the hostages, as well as the lifting of the Israeli blockade and the entry of increased humanitarian aid.
Israel, for its part, repeats that a truce should be accompanied by the release of all hostages and would not mean the end of the war, promising that it will continue until the total elimination of Hamas.
Also read More than 30,000 dead in Gaza, according to Hamas: “When will this nightmare end?”
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