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French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday

Photo: Ludovic Marin / AP

Israeli soldiers and Palestinian eyewitnesses give different accounts of the scenes that unfolded in Gaza City around 4 a.m. on Thursday.

One thing is certain: a catastrophe has occurred in the desperate attempt of many people to get hold of some food.

According to Israeli officials, thousands of Palestinians surrounded around 30 trucks that were loading aid supplies.

According to reports from Israel, dozens of people were trampled to death in the crush and some were also run over by the trucks.

A short time later, "a mob" approached a military checkpoint and ignored warning shots, according to an Israeli military spokesman.

The soldiers felt threatened and fired a “limited” number of shots.

A spokesman for the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, however, spoke of a "massacre" in which 104 people were killed and more than 750 people were injured.

The incident caused consternation around the world.

Particularly clear words come from France: "The shelling of civilians by the Israeli military while trying to get food is unjustifiable," said a statement from the French Foreign Ministry published on Thursday evening.

France expects the serious incident to be fully clarified.

"In any case, it is Israel's responsibility to adhere to the rules of international law and to protect the distribution of humanitarian aid to the civilian population."

The tragic event comes at a time when the humanitarian emergency in Gaza has reached dire proportions and a growing and unbearable number of Palestinian civilians are suffering from hunger and disease, the statement continued: "An immediate and lasting ceasefire is urgently needed, to enable large-scale humanitarian aid deliveries and to protect the civilian population in the Gaza Strip." This goal is a priority for France.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X on Friday night: "I express my firm rejection of these shots and demand truth, justice and compliance with international law."

The situation in Gaza is dramatic.

“The entire civilian population must be protected,” said Macron.

"A ceasefire must come into force immediately so that humanitarian aid can be distributed."

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke of a “bloodbath”.

"I am horrified by the news of another bloodbath among civilians in Gaza who desperately need humanitarian assistance," he wrote on X on Friday night. "These deaths are absolutely unacceptable."

Withholding food aid from people is “a serious violation” of international humanitarian law, Borrell wrote.

"Unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza must be guaranteed."

The United Nations is also calling for an investigation into the incident.

vet/dpa