Israel, Gaza: Many wounded by gunfire as rescue vehicles rush – United Nations

Many of the people treated for injuries received by aid convoys in Gaza on Thursday suffered gunshot wounds, the United Nations said.

UN monitors visited Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and saw some of the approximately 200 people still receiving treatment.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, has accused Israel of firing on civilians, but Israel said most were killed in a stampede after troops fired warning shots.

Leaders around the world are calling for a thorough investigation.

The incident occurred early Thursday morning after hundreds of people descended on a support convoy that was traveling along a coastal road, accompanied by Israeli troops.

The World Food Program has warned of impending famine in northern Gaza, which has received little aid in recent weeks and where an estimated 300,000 people live with little food and clean water.

Footage from the scene shows people climbing out of trucks and ducking behind cars as a volley can be heard.

Gaza's Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said at least 112 people were killed and another 760 injured in the attack.

“Dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of the pushing and trampling,” Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Danial Hagari said in a statement on social media.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner also told Channel 4 News that “insurgents attacked the convoy” and that Israeli forces were “acting cautiously.” [tried] The aim was to disperse the mob with several warning shots. ”

Mark Regev, a special assistant to the Israeli prime minister, earlier told CNN that Israel was not directly involved and that “Palestinian armed groups” were responsible for the shooting, without providing evidence.

On Friday, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, confirmed that a U.N. team had visited al-Shifa hospital earlier in the day and found “numerous gunshot wounds” among the survivors. said.

He said he was not aware that the team had examined the bodies of those killed.

Dr. Mohamed Salha, interim director of Al Awda Hospital, previously told the BBC that the hospital had received 176 of the injured, 142 of whom had gunshot wounds.

He added that others suffered broken limbs in the crowd.

Following the incident, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called the deaths “horrifying” and said: “There needs to be an urgent investigation and accountability.”

“This kind of thing must never happen again,” he said.

He added that the incident cannot be separated from the “inadequate aid” flowing into Gaza, calling current levels “totally unacceptable.”

US President Joe Biden announced that the US would begin dropping aid to Gaza by air, saying, “Innocent people have been caught up in a terrible war, unable to provide for their families. We will take further action.'' We need to do more, and the United States will do more.”

The Israeli military will crush Hamas, which is banned as a terrorist organization by Israel, Britain and others, after the militant group killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 and took 253 back to Gaza. A large-scale air and ground operation was launched. hostage.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said more than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 21,000 children and women, about 7,000 are missing and at least 70,450 injured.