Israel is under mounting international pressure to conduct an investigation following the deaths of over 100 Palestinians in Gaza. The fatalities occurred when desperate crowds gathered around aid trucks and Israeli troops opened fire on Thursday.
Israel claimed that the deaths were due to a crush or people being run over by aid lorries, but a hospital official in Gaza reported that 80% of the injured had gunshot wounds.
The UN team that visited the wounded in Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital observed a “large number of gunshot wounds”, according to UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesman.
The UK and France have called for an independent investigation into the incident, while Germany has demanded a full explanation from the Israeli army. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported 112 deaths and over 750 injuries.
Witnesses and some of the injured claimed that Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, causing panic. An Israeli military spokesperson, however, stated that the deaths were a result of overcrowding and that Israeli forces only opened fire in self-defense.
An Israeli military spokesperson claimed “tens” of people were killed in a crush or run over by trucks as they tried to escape. He also said Israel Defense Forces troops had later “opened fire” in self-defence after feeling under threat, but that they did not target the convoy or the crowd.
2024-03-02 01:00:32
Link from www.theguardian.com