Israeli troops fire at Palestinians waiting for aid; 112 killed
At least 112 people were killed and 760 injured in Gaza while waiting for food aid, as Israeli forces fired upon the crowd on Thursday, reported Al Jazeera. Hamas condemned the incident as an "ugly massacre," while Israel attributed the deaths to crowds surrounding aid trucks, saying that victims were either trampled or run over. Gaza's 2.4 million people, most of whom are confined to Rafah, face the threat of famine and starvation as Israel continues its raids.
Israeli troops felt threatened, fired upon crowd: Eyewitness
Kamel Abu Nahel, an eyewitness, recounted that residents rushed to the distribution point around midnight after hearing about a food delivery. As they gathered around the aid truck, Israeli troops, reportedly feeling threatened, opened fire on them. To recall, Israel has been delaying the entry of aid into Gaza for weeks, while Israeli protesters have demanded a halt to aid shipments despite the region's worsening situation.
Israel blames truck drivers, stampede for deaths
An Israeli government spokesperson called the Palestinian casualties during aid distribution near Gaza City a "tragedy" but claimed the deaths were caused by delivery drivers plowing into the crowd. "At some point, the trucks were overwhelmed and the people driving the trucks, which were Gazan civilian drivers, plowed into the crowds of people, ultimately killing dozens of people," Avi Hyman, Israeli government spokesperson, said.
UN food agency halts aid to north Gaza amid violence
The incident comes just weeks after the United Nations' World Food Programme announced that it had halted "life-saving" food deliveries to northern Gaza due to continued gunfire by Israel. The aid delivery suspensions in the north coincided with a significant decrease in aid trucks entering Gaza overall. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that the average number of aid trucks entering Gaza dropped from 140 per day in January to 60 per day in February.
Gaza residents eating donkey feed out of desperation
According to Al Jazeera, several Gaza residents said they have been eating only once every two days and consuming food intended for animals, such as bird and donkey feed, out of desperation. Last week, a toddler in Gaza died after getting food poisoning from bread made out of animal feed. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that half a million people in Gaza face starvation and all 2.3 million experience acute food shortage.
More than 30,000 Palestinians killed
Meanwhile, over 30,000 people have been killed in ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Health Ministry said. As per US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, women and children account for more than 25,000 of the total casualties. Despite increased calls for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strictly denied the possibility of a peace deal.
Israel-Hamas conflict
The war between Israel and the Palestinian terror organization Hamas began on October 7. The conflict was triggered when Hamas launched cross-border attacks on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking at least 240 hostages. In response, Israel launched retaliatory strikes in Hamas-controlled Gaza. The continued strikes have triggered widespread condemnation amid a massive humanitarian crisis.
