Massacre or mass panic?: 112 dead in Gaza and an unsolved mystery

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New horror episode from Gaza: At least 100 people were killed on Thursday evening in a clash between starving Palestinians, aid trucks and Israeli soldiers.

Israel and Hamas, which rule Gaza, blame each other for the catastrophe. Hamas speaks of a ‘massacre’, Israel of a ‘mass panic’. The incident is an example of why it is so difficult to find a solution to the war in Gaza.

The proven facts:

An aid convoy with a total of 38 trucks was surrounded by several hundred Palestinians along the Al-Rashid coastal road in Gaza City shortly before 5 a.m. on Thursday morning. An Israeli drone’s night vision camera shows dozens of people trying to climb onto trucks to access relief supplies.

The Israeli-edited drone video shows dozens of lifeless or injured bodies later found lying in the sand along the road. Shortly after the incident, al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza reported that it had treated 161 wounded people, most of whom had gunshot wounds.

This is what Hamas says:

The radical Islamic organization, which has ruled the Gaza Strip with its almost 2.5 million inhabitants since 2007, speaks of a ‘massacre’ by Israeli soldiers against the innocent civilian population. The soldiers opened fire for no reason. 112 people were killed and at least 280 were injured, some seriously.

Hamas speaks of the ‘systematic killing’ of innocent people and accuses the Israeli army of ‘shooting directly at civilians’. She calls on the International Criminal Court to hold Israel responsible for this “heinous crime.”

This is what Israel says:

Government spokesman Avi Hyman speaks of “overwhelmed Palestinian drivers” who were engulfed by a crowd. “They drove through the crowd and killed dozens of people.” In a separate incident, a group of Palestinians got too close to Israeli soldiers and shot at them, wounding ten people.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagari emphasized that the Israeli forces “did not fire at the aid transport.” He points to the night vision drone video that shows no soldiers near the aid convoy. However, several sources, including the New York Times, point out that the drone footage has been edited together and does not show key moments of the incident.

Itamaer Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, called for an immediate halt to all aid deliveries to Gaza over the incident. Any aid is ‘oxygen for Hamas’.

The consequences:

Negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (March 10 to April 8), which the White House said were in full swing, appear to have failed. Hamas accuses Israel of using the cover of negotiations to commit serious crimes. America and Israel bear ‘full responsibility’ for the ‘massacre’.

The incident sparked international protests. French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned Israel’s actions. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called it a “genocide” and announced that he would immediately halt all arms deals with Israel. The UN reminded Israel that as an occupying power in Gaza, it bears responsibility for the public security of the civilian population.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian catastrophe for the people of Gaza continues. According to the UN Palestine Relief Agency, instead of around 500 trucks carrying aid as before the war, only just under 100 trucks reach the devastated coastal strip every day. According to Palestinian figures, 30,035 people have been killed and more than 70,000 injured since October 7. More than 7,000 people are still missing. The UN fears an impending famine that could affect 500,000 people. There is no imminent end to the horror in sight.

Source: Blick