(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Flour massacre: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia Jump to content

Flour massacre: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 31°30′9.95″N 34°24′52.34″E / 31.5027639°N 34.4145389°E / 31.5027639; 34.4145389
Page extended-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
No edit summary
m NmWTfs85lXusaybq moved page Al-Rashid massacre to Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident over redirect: revert improper early closure by the nominator
(No difference)

Revision as of 04:33, 1 March 2024

Flour massacre
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Al-Nabulsi roundabout is located in the Gaza Strip
Al-Nabulsi roundabout
Al-Nabulsi roundabout
Location within the Gaza Strip
LocationGaza Strip, Palestine
Coordinates31°30′9.95″N 34°24′52.34″E / 31.5027639°N 34.4145389°E / 31.5027639; 34.4145389
Date29 February 2024
~4:30 a.m. (UTC+02:00)
Attack type
Massacre, mass shooting
Deaths112+[1][2]
Injured760+
Accused Israel Defense Forces

On 29 February 2024, 112 Palestinian civilians were killed and at least 760 were injured attempting to receive flour from aid trucks on al-Rashid street at the Al-Nabulsi roundabout to the west of Gaza City.[2]

The Gaza Health Ministry described the event as a massacre and stated that 112 people had died as a result of Israeli fire.[1][2] The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated there were two separate incidents, a stampede that killed "dozens" and an Israeli shooting at Wadi Gaza on civilians who approached an aid convoy but "did not move away" after warning shots.[3][4][5]

The incident occurred one day after Carl Skau, the deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, told the United Nations Security Council that more than 500,000 people were at risk of imminent famine in Gaza.[6]

Background

Main article: Humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war

On 9 October, Israel implemented a complete blockade on Gaza, preventing the entry of any humanitarian aid.[7] By 18 October, Israel announced it would allow food, water, and medicine to be delivered to a "safe zone" in west Khan Younis in southern Gaza, distributed by the United Nations.[8] Continued issues were seen with the delivery of aid into Gaza, with allegations that Hamas leadership was stockpiling and controlling the aid's distribution, fluctuating numbers of trucks and aid parcels, destruction of convoy vehicles by the IDF, and Israeli civilians and officials blocking aid.[9][10][11]

Concerns about the sparse amount of aid being allowed into Gaza and the chaos it could generate was highlighted by Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council who described an aid delivery being looted by desperate civilians due to the low amount of aid. According to the United Nations in a report on 27 February more than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, with the UN World Food Programme warning of a real prospect of famine by May 2024.[12] During February 2024, only 2,300 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip, about half the number that entered in January and far below the 500 hundred trucks per day before the war began.[13]

Prior to the attack, there were multiple reports of Israeli attacks on humanitarian aid convoys and aid seekers. On 25 January 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported an Israeli attack on aid seekers had killed 20 and wounded 150.[14] On 5 February, Israel bombed a truck loaded with food headed toward northern Gaza.[9][15] On 6 February, Israeli forces open-fired on people waiting for food aid trucks in Gaza City.[16] The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated it was the fifth report of Israel firing upon people waiting for humanitarian aid.[17][18] On 20 February, at least one Palestinian civilian was killed while waiting to receive humanitarian aid.[19] An Al Jazeera report on 27 February had found people seeking aid had faced "consistent" attacks by Israeli forces.[20][21] The day before the attack, medical sources in Gaza City had reported that three people were killed while waiting for aid on al-Rashid Street.[22]

The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that the first convoys carrying food to northern Gaza in a month had started that week, and that 31 trucks carrying food had entered northern Gaza the previous day. The UN was not involved in organising that convoy.[23][24] Hani Mahmoud, a journalist in Gaza, said of the trucks that had reached northern Gaza: "Compared with the needs of the 600,000 people there, that is nothing."[25]

After the incident, the IDF spokesperson raised claims that they had been delivering aid without problem for four days leading up to the incident, and that Israel has not put any limit on the amount of aid that can be delivered into Gaza.[26] Israel has stated that the UN is to blame for the lack of delivery of humanitarian aid, the UN OCHA however the has rebuked those statements.[27]

Event

Per an IDF spokesperson at approximately 4 a.m., eighteen[28] to thirty-eight[29] humanitarian aid trucks that had been sent from surrounding countries arrived in northern-Gaza after passing through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint.[29] At around 4:30 the trucks began to travel through a humanitarian corridor that the IDF had secured, a reported mob of Palestinians rushed toward the aid trucks.[29] Per a local journalist who was also a witness to the chaos, the large crowds had gathered to wait for the aid and food to be disbursed from the trucks.[12] The trucks drivers reportedly attempted to escape the crowds but were unable to due to the rubble and crowds, and accidentally rammed one another which added to the confusion.[28]

According to an IDF spokesperson, due to the chaos IDF troops and tanks stationed along and near the aid convoy fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd surrounding the aid trucks.[26] The IDF has then alleged that after the convoy was able to clear the area some of those that had rushed the convoy, began to approach the IDF forces and tanks. In response, the IDF opened fire.[27]

Gazan doctor Yehia Al Masri, who was near the scene of the incident, said he heard shelling and gunshots at around 4 a.m., and went outside to an intersection when the shooting subsided. He described seeing dozens of dead and injured people lying on the street with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and groin, who were soaked in flour and blood.[1] Al-Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul reported that "Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies."[30] Local journalist Khadeer Al Za'anoun, who witnessed the incident, said that chaos and confusion was sparked after Israeli forces opened fire, which led to people being hit by aid trucks.[31]

Victims

Initial reports of the incident said that 50 people were killed. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and said that 70 people died and at least 250 were wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza later revised the death toll to least 112, with about 760 people injured.[2][32] Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour later told reporters that the death toll rose to 122, but his statement was unable to be verified.[33] Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving approximately 100 people injured with gunshot wounds and the bodies of 12 people who had been killed.[1] Journalist Hussam Shabat reported that every casualty he saw at that hospital had suffered bullet wounds, "including to the chest, jaw and shoulder."[1] The head of nursing at al-Shifa Hospital, Jadallah al-Shafei, described how "the hospital was flooded with dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of injured. The majority of the victims suffered gunshots and shrapnel in the head and upper parts of their bodies. They were hit by direct artillery shelling, drone missiles and gun firing."[30]

The spokesperson of the Gaza Health Ministry said that the death toll was expected to rise as dozens of the wounded were reported to be in critical or serious condition. The injuries of patients taken to Al-Shifa Hospital varied, ranging from gunshot wounds to being trampled to being struck by artillery shells from tanks.[34] At least 160 of the wounded were taken to Al-Awda Hospital, where patients were treated for gunshot wounds and tank shell injuries. A doctor at the hospital told The Independent that 27 of the patients needed urgent surgery, but fuel shortages caused difficulty in conducting them.[35] The nursing director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital said that most of the injured taken to the hospital were in critical condition and likely to die from health conditions and severe injuries.[36]

Investigations

International

On the same day as the attack, Amnesty International announced it was launching an investigation, stating it "is investigating this as part of its ongoing documentation of violations against Palestinian civilians".[37]

Israeli

The Israel Defense Forces attributed the casualties to chaos and stampedes triggered by the arrival of aid trucks in northern Gaza, leading to numerous injuries.[2][29]

An IDF spokesman said that the army did not fire at the crowd at the head of the main aid convoy, but at the tail of the convoy hundreds of yards south. The spokesman described them as rushing towards trucks and then approaching Israeli troops and a tank securing the road.[1] An officer in the area ordered soldiers to fire warning shots into the air and at the legs of those who continued to advance towards the checkpoint. The IDF said fewer than ten of the deaths directly resulted from Israeli fire.[38] A drone video published by the IDF showed thousands of people swarming aid trucks, surrounding them as they arrived at Al-Rashid, and a statement claimed that some were looting equipment. Trucks were seen attempting to push through the crowds. The IDF attributed most of the casualties to stampeding and being run over by the aid trucks.[39][40]

Palestinian

Palestinian Authority official news agency Wafa said that Israeli tanks fired at thousands of people with machine guns as they waited for aid to arrive.[1]

Reactions

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, called the incident an "ugly massacre" that was perpetrated by the "Israeli occupation army."[27] The Palestinian National Authority condemned the event, saying the civilians were merely trying to get food and much needed supplies and the IDF opened in fire killing innocent citizens and injuring hundreds.[41] The Gaza Health Ministry said the incident was part of Israel's "genocidal war" and called for the international community to intervene to forge a ceasefire "as the only way to protect civilians".[30]

Following the event, Hamas threatened to stop the hostage negotiations.[5] Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated the massacre was "another reason why we must stop the transfer of aid."[42]

The United States Department of State expressed condolences for the people who were killed or injured, and spokesperson Mathew Miller said they were in touch with the Israeli government and pressing them for answers.[28] President Joe Biden told reporters that his administration was checking two competing versions of the incident, and added that the event would complicate ceasefire talks.[43]

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident, and said that the desperate citizens in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the UN had been unable to provide aid in over a week.[2] Doctors Without Borders released a statement: "We consider Israel responsible for the situation of extreme deprivation and despair which prevails in Gaza — particularly in the north — which led to today’s tragic events."[44]

Egypt and Jordan condemned the Israeli forces' targeting of Palestinians waiting for aid, and Saudi Arabia said it rejected violations of humanitarian law by any side, under any circumstance.[45]

Belgian deputy prime minister Petra de Sutter said she was horrified by the news of the massacre.[45] France said that Israeli soldiers firing upon civilians attempting to access food was unjustifiable.[46] Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, said Israel's depriving food from Palestinians was a serious violation of international humanitarian law and stated, "These deaths are totally unacceptable".[47]

Colombian president Gustavo Petro announced the country would cease importing Israeli weapons after the massacre, and described the Israeli treatment of Palestinians as a genocide.[48]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Yazbek, Hiba; Boxerman, Aaron (29 February 2024). "A witness said he saw people with gunshot wounds and sacks of flour covered in blood". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Marsi, Federica; Siddiqui, Usaid; Harb, Ali; Osgood, Brian. "'Life draining out of Gaza': UN on aid shooting as death toll hits 30,000". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  3. ^ Srivastava, Mehul; Saleh, Heba; Ivanova, Polina. "Dozens killed as chaos hits Gaza food convoy and Israeli troops open fire". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Gaza health authorities say Israeli fire kills 104 waiting for aid". AP News. 29 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Dozens dead in Gaza after stampede over humanitarian aid, IDF reports". ynetnews. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. ^ "WFP Deputy Chief warns Security Council of imminent famine in northern Gaza unless conditions change". World Food Programme. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  7. ^ Federman, Josef; Adwan, Issam (9 October 2023). "Israeli defense minister orders 'complete siege' on Gaza after Hamas surprise attack". PBS Newshour. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  8. ^ Jobain, Najib. "Israel says it will allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as food and water dwindle". PBS. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b Polglase, Katie (21 February 2024). "Exclusive: Israeli forces fired on food convoy in Gaza, UN documents and satellite analysis reveals". CNN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #104". ReliefWeb. UNOCHA. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Abi-Habib, Maria (27 October 2023). "As Gazans Scrounge for Food and Water, Hamas Sits on a Rich Trove of Supplies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b Al Za'anoun, Khadder (29 February 2024). "Many victims at Gaza aid site were rammed by trucks in chaos after Israeli fire, local journalist says". CNN. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  13. ^ "'Pity us': Desperate Gazans reel from aid trucks 'massacre'". France 24. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  14. ^ "Shooting into crowd kills 20 in north Gaza, combat in the south displaces thousands". Associated Press. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  15. ^ "UNRWA says it cannot deliver aid under fire". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  16. ^ Mahmoud, Hani. "'The destruction cycle continues'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel Flash Update #111". ReliefWeb. UNOCHA. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  18. ^ "People shot at while waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City: Report". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Israeli troops shoot at Palestinians receiving aid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Palestinians have consistently come under Israeli fire while waiting for aid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Timeline: Attacks on aid convoys and aid seekers in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Three Palestinians killed while waiting for food aid near Gaza City". Al Jazeera. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Food aid reaches north Gaza for first time in weeks, Israeli officials say". The Irish Times. Associated Press. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  24. ^ "COGAT says 31 trucks carrying food entered northern Gaza". Times of Israel. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  25. ^ Mahmoud, Hani. "With little aid, conditions are worsening with each passing day". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  26. ^ a b Fabian, Emanuel (29 February 2024). "IDF spokesman: Troops fired warning shots to disperse mob rushing aid convoy, did not carry out strikes". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  27. ^ a b c "Dozens killed waiting for aid in Gaza as overall death toll passes 30,000, Hamas-run health ministry says". CNBC. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  28. ^ a b c Picheta, Rob (29 February 2024). "Gaza food aid deaths amid Israeli gunfire: What we know about the incident". CNN. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d Fabian, Emanuel (29 February 2024). "PM: 'Too early' to know if hostage deal will happen; IDF will tackle Hamas in Rafah". Times of Israel.
  30. ^ a b c "'Cold-blooded massacre': Israeli forces kill over 104 aid seekers in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  31. ^ Diamond, Jeremy (29 February 2024). "More than 100 killed amid Israeli gunfire and panic at Gaza food lines, Palestinian officials and witnesses say". CNN. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Hamas says 112 killed as fire opened on Gazans collecting food aid; IDF claims truck drove into Palestinians - World News". WION. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas: Live updates". CNN. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Israel-Gaza live updates: Over 100 killed while waiting for food aid in northern Gaza". ABC News. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  35. ^ "More than 100 killed in crowd waiting for aid, Gaza health officials say". The Independent. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  36. ^ "All injured by Israeli fire at Al-Nabulsi roundabout likely to die: Palestinian doctor". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Amnesty says investigating deadly Israeli attack on aid seekers". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Many killed in Gaza aid stampede; IDF says its fire caused no more than 10 casualties". Times of Israel. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  39. ^ "112 killed in Gaza food line carnage; Israel blames Palestinian aid drivers: Live updates". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  40. ^ "IDF probe: Majority of casualties in northern Gaza crowd crush are result of trampling, being run over". Times of Israel. 29 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Presidency condemns heinous Israeli crime committed against civilians waiting for aid trucks near Al-Rashid Street". Wafa.
  42. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy. "Hamas claims 'massacre' as Palestinians killed in Gaza aid delivery disaster". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  43. ^ Carvajal, Nikki; Marquardt, Alex; Williams, Michael (29 February 2024). "Biden says Gaza incident will complicate ceasefire talks as administration feels urgency after dozens of Palestinians killed". CNN. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  44. ^ "Gaza: MSF statement on deadly incident that killed over 100 Palestinians seeking aid". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  45. ^ a b "'Heinous': Deadly Israeli attack on Gaza aid-seekers condemned". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  46. ^ "More than 100 reported killed in crowd near Gaza aid convoy". BBC News. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  47. ^ "Deaths of Palestinians seeking aid 'unacceptable': EU top diplomat". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  48. ^ "Colombia Suspends Israel Arms Purchases After Gaza Aid Convoy Deaths". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flour_massacre&oldid=1211162539"