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SvennoJ on 29 February 2024
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When is enough finally enough

Another war crime so big CNN can't ignore it (CNN didn't report on babies and children dying from starvation)
(Yet still dares to just call it an 'incident')

More than 100 killed as Israeli forces open fire in chaos at Gaza food lines, Palestinian health ministry says

https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/middleeast/gaza-city-deaths-food-israel-intl/index.html

At least 104 people were killed and 760 injured in a chaotic incident where Israeli troops opened fire as hungry Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

People had swarmed around newly arrived aid trucks in the hope of getting food, when Israeli tanks and drones started shooting at the people in Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, in the Sheikh Ajleen area.

An Israeli official told CNN the Israel Defense Forces did use live fire on people surrounding aid trucks as “the crowd approached the forces in a manner that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire. The incident is under review.”

The aid trucks tried to escape the area, accidentally ramming others and causing further deaths and injuries, eyewitnesses told CNN. The death toll and number of injured is expected to increase as many bodies and people are still out on the street, with ambulances struggling to reach those in need because rubble is blocking the way, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, Ahmad Abu Al Foul, told CNN.

Responding to CNN, the IDF said “the incident is under review”. “Early this morning, during the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the northern Gaza Strip, Gazan residents surrounded the trucks, and looted the supplies being delivered. During the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling,” the IDF told CNN.

Hamas senior member Ezzat Al-Risheq warned that the killings on Thursday could lead to the failure of ongoing talks aiming at the release of hostages and a ceasefire. “Negotiations are not an open process,” he said in a statement published by Hamas on Telegram. “We will not allow for the pathway of the negotiations…[to become] a cover for the enemy’s continued crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

Oxfam International has condemned the attack in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “Oxfam is appalled by reports of killing people in #Gaza waiting for food aid. Israel deliberately targeting civilians after starving them is a gross violation of international humanitarian laws and our humanity.”

The incident comes as the death toll for those killed in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attacks passed 30,000.



Palestinian presidency condemns ‘ugly massacre’ in Gaza City

The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned what it described as an “ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army this morning” following the reports that the Israeli army opened fire on people receiving aid in Gaza City.

“The killing of this large number of innocent civilian victims who risked their livelihood is an integral part of the genocidal war committed by the occupation government against our people,” the presidential office was quoted by the Wafa news agency as saying.

“Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility and will be held accountable before international courts.”



Israeli military official says troops shot at aid seekers in Gaza

Israeli troops opened fire on a group of Palestinian aid seekers in Gaza City who “dangerously” approached them, according to an Israeli military official quoted by Israeli media. At least 104 Palestinians were killed and more than 700 injured when they were attacked at a roundabout south of Gaza City while waiting for food aid, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a post on X, the Israeli military said dozens of Palestinians were injured by “trampling” as the crowd grew “violent” and began “looting” the trucks.

The military official, quoted by the Times of Israel, said that some members of the crowd began heading towards Israeli forces who were in charge of overseeing the aid delivery in a way that “endangered” them, adding that the troops then “opened fire at the crowd”.

The military is conducting a review of the incident, it said on X.

Victims of Gaza City attack say they were ambushed

The more we talk to people about what happened during the attack near Gaza City this morning, the more it becomes clear they feel it was a trap, an ambush.

As soon as people approached incoming trucks carrying food aid, they were shot at. There were attack drones in the sky. There was also fire from naval forces and armoured vehicles in the vicinity.

All at once, these military forces fired at a group of people who were hungry, traumatised and displaced. People who were just trying to get their hands on whatever they could to feed their families and stay alive.

The number of dead from the attack has now risen to 104 and there are still, unfortunately, injured people left on the road. Paramedics, civil defence crew and volunteers are trying to help get these people to hospitals, but are finding it very difficult to get to the area. We are expecting the number of casualties to increase even more in the coming hours.

This is what is left for people in northern Gaza – face starvation or risk one’s life trying to get aid.


What we know about the Israeli attack on aid seekers in Gaza

At about 4:30am (02:30GMT), hundreds of Palestinians gathered at a major roundabout south of Gaza City were shot at. At least 100 people were killed and 760 injured. Here’s what we know about the attack:

  • This morning, hundreds had congregated at the Nabulsi Roundabout on al-Rashid Street, waiting for food delivery.
  • Witnesses and our correspondent on the ground say those people were fired on by “all sorts of military equipment”. The aid seekers were hit by direct artillery shelling, drone missiles and gunshots, according to hospital officials.
  • The truck, which had planned to deliver food aid, ended up piling in dozens of dead and wounded Palestinians and rushing them to the nearest health facilities.
  • Some of the dead and wounded had to be transported by donkey cart, while others lay in the streets for hours.
  • Most wounded Palestinians were brought to al-Shifa Hospital and Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Others were taken to Ahli and Jordanian hospitals.
  • None of these facilities has nearly enough medical supplies or staff to take on so many emergency cases.
  • Hamas has decried the attack as an “unprecedented war crime”.
  • Israel’s military spokesman says the military has no knowledge of “Israeli shelling” in the area.

Egypt condemns attack on Gaza aid seekers

“We condemn the inhumane Israeli targeting of… unarmed Palestinian civilians in the Nabulsi roundabout in the northern Gaza,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said. “We consider targeting peaceful citizens rushing to pick up their share of aid a shameful crime and a flagrant violation of international law,” the statement added, calling on international parties to end the war on Gaza.

Jordan condemns attack on Gaza aid seekers

“We condemn the Israeli occupation forces’ brutal targeting of the gathering of Palestinians who were waiting for aid on the Nabulsi roundabout near Al-Rashid Street in Gaza,” Jordan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The death toll has risen to at least 104 Palestinians with 760 injured.

Kamal Adwan Hospital only able to deliver first aid to critical patients

Dr Hussam Abu Safia, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, says the situation at the medical facility is at breaking point as it struggles to cope with victims from the Israeli attack on Palestinians waiting for aid.

“This is exactly the situation we had been warning about, the hospital being out of service amid this massive influx of patients,” Abu Safia told Al Jazeera.

“We are operating on batteries. Most of our patients are in critical condition, which requires urgent surgical intervention, but we have no operating rooms. I stand helpless. We are simply administering first-aid treatment only.”



Al-Shifa Hospital unable to cope with number of victims

Faris Afana, head of the ambulance service at al-Shifa Hospital, says the hospital in Gaza City is no longer able to cope with the large number of victims coming in after the attack. 

“We have only three ambulances operational, as we ran out of fuel. We drove along al-Rashid road to find dozens of dead bodies lying on the way,” he said. “For more than four hours now, we have been transporting victims to the hospitals.” Donkey carts and private cars were also used to transport more than 200 wounded people. The ambulances later returned to recover more bodies.

“This is genocide against our people, those were innocent civilians waiting for days for the trucks carrying relief aid. It is a war crime, it is a genocide by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people.”

‘We stand helpless amid this shortage of supplies, staff’

Jadallah al-Shafei, head of the nurses’ department at al-Shifa Hospital, says the “situation cannot be described in words” while referring to the aftermath of the Israeli attack on Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza. “It is reminiscent of the dark scenes from the Baptist Hospital four months ago where 500 people were killed in one Israeli air strike,” he said.

“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 gunshots.

“We are out of operating theatres, let alone medical staff. We ran out of medical supplies and fuel to run the hospital. We hope we will be able to provide life-saving assistance to those wounded. All of them are in critical condition, lying on the floor. We stand helpless amid this shortage of supplies and staff.”

Red Crescent says collapse of health system leaves injured with no options

Raed al-Nims, spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, says the aid seekers wounded in the Israeli attack do not have the option to get treatment amid the collapse of the healthcare system. “The Red Crescent immediately began transferring the wounded and the dead to the hospitals, but the numbers were beyond our capacity,” al-Nims told Al Jazeera. “As we speak, the entire health sector in Gaza is collapsing, it has run out of fuel.”

The spokesman said PRCS crews have repeatedly been “intentionally targeted” by the Israeli forces, which resulted in the killing of 20 staff members. He added that the international community must realise that Palestinians in Gaza do not have the option to get treatment amid the lack of resources and that it must do all in its power to stop the war.

“We have been under bombardment, starvation for months,” al-Nims said, adding that the Israeli military has been using aid as a weapon of war. “If this continues for more weeks or months, all Gazans will be dead as a result of disease and starvation.”

The truck that carried the aid turned into an ambulance

In the northern part, people have been grappling with famine and faced with starvation. People resorted to eating animal feed just to stay alive. So as these people were gathering in large groups, they were shot at by all kinds of military equipment, from the naval forces, tanks, drones, and also from armoured vehicles that were in the vicinity.

We’re looking at a very tragic scene. The very truck that carried the aid turned into an ambulance. It carried the bodies of those who were killed and transferred them to al-Shifa Hospital. According to a witness, there are more bodies on that road that haven’t been collected or identified.

Long hospital wait, lack of medical supplies could mean ‘death sentence’ for Gaza’s wounded

There are almost no medical supplies to treat the injured who are arriving at health facilities in northern Gaza. This could mean a death sentence for those who are severely injured. They have to stay in the hospitals and wait for medical supplies, wait for doctors or nurses to intervene.

Unfortunately, the wait time is long and by the time a doctor or a nurse is available, they may already be dead. There are so many documented cases of this happening at Kamal Adwan Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital, and more recently at al-Shifa Hospital.

This is one of the reasons the death toll from this morning’s attack near Gaza City is expected to rise.



‘A massacre’: Israeli tanks run over dead and wounded

Hospitals in northern Gaza are struggling to cope with the large influx of the dead and wounded coming in from the attack on a group waiting for food delivery, says our correspondent on the ground in Gaza, Ismail al-Ghoul. “The dead and wounded have been taken to al-Shifa Hospital as well as Kamal Adwan Hospital,” said al-Ghoul.

“Some of the others are being rushed to the Ahli and Jordanian hospitals. The numbers will rise. Hospitals are no longer able to accommodate the huge number of patients because they lack fuel, let alone medicine. Hospitals have also run out of blood.” Palestinians are still trying to recover more bodies of those killed in the attack, but ambulances cannot reach the area because the roads have been “totally destroyed”.

“As the Israeli military opened fire on the aid seekers, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies in the southwestern parts of Gaza City. It is a massacre, on top of the starvation threatening citizens in Gaza.”

 

Attack on people waiting for food is state-sponsored terror

The attack on people waiting for aid near Gaza City is state-sponsored terror aimed at making military leaders, including Hamas, make concessions, so that Israel can capitalise on its war crimes for political needs. This is genocide unravelling and is coming to you on live television. This war has become a campaign of ethnic cleansing. At first, we counted the attacks on educational institutes, hospitals, and children. Now we have reached 30,000 people killed and this onslaught is ongoing.

We talk about genocide because clearly there is an existential war, this is an Israeli war against the people of Gaza that is a zero-sum game between Israeli presence and Palestinian presence.

International community ‘fully responsible’ for massacre of Palestinian civilians

Gaza’s Government Media Office has blamed the international community – specifically the Biden administration – for allowing the “mass killing” of Palestinian civilians after at least 100 people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food aid.

“We hold the US administration, the international community, the [Israeli] occupation, and international organisations responsible for the killing of civilians in light of their starvation by the [Israeli] occupation,” said a statement.

“We appeal to all the countries of the world, all the Arab and Islamic countries, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to intervene immediately and urgently in order to put pressure on the [Israeli] occupation to stop the genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

Western governments ‘complicit with Israeli crimes’: Palestinian politician

Mustafa Barghouti, secretary general of the Palestinian National Initiative, has condemned the deadly attack on aid-seekers as another “horrible crime” committed by Israel. “We are dealing with a pariah state, a structure that has become fascist, run by fascists in a government that includes fascists,” he told Al Jazeera.

“These were civilians who are starving because Israel has been depriving them from food for months and does not allow any supplies to them for more than a month now,” said Barghouti. “And then they try to justify it by saying that Palestinians are responsible for being killed by the same Israeli soldiers? It’s unbelievable.”

Barghouti also decried “the silence” of Western countries and blaming their governments of being “complicit with these crimes and allow them to happen”. “This should stop immediately,” he said. “It cannot stop without an immediate, permanent, complete and total ceasefire, without the Israeli army withdrawing from Gaza after they have destroyed it so much and after they have driven so many people, milions of people, to the edge of starvation and death from starving.”

 

Hamas says attack on aid seekers in Gaza an ‘unprecedented war crime’

The Palestinian group has accused Israel of committing a “hideous massacre, unprecedented in the history of war crimes” by firing on hundreds of civilians waiting for food aid, resulting in the killing of at least 77. In a statement, Hamas said the attack is part of Israel’s efforts to fully displace Palestinians from their land and “obliterate” the Palestinian cause.

It called for:

  • the League of Arab States and the UN Security Council to urgently convene and act to stop Israel’s “mass killing and ethnic cleansing in Gaza”;
  • all Arab countries to “break their silence” regarding “the genocide against our people” and immediately mobilise to bring food and medical aid into Gaza;
  • all people in Arab and Islamic nations and the free world to protest the “massacre of Palestinian people” and put pressure on their governments to take a stand against Israeli war crimes, and;
  • the UN and the international community to fulfil their responsibilities to stop the “mass killing of our people” and to take measures to safely deliver emergency aid.

Negotiations no ‘cover for enemy’s crimes’: Hamas

Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq has been quoted by our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic as saying that the ongoing negotiations with Israel will not be a “cover for the enemy to continue its crimes”, In response to the attack on Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City, al-Rishq said Hamas would not allow the diplomatic path “through which we seek to end the human suffering of our people, caused by the occupation, to be a cover for the enemy’s crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip.”

 

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 29 February 2024