The death, reported yesterday by Hamas, of 112 Palestinians, and the wounding of 760 others,
when a crowd rushed at a food aid convoy in the city of Gaza, remains in the spotlight.
The Palestinian Islamic movement claims that the Israeli army opened fire on people, while Israel recognizes "limited shooting" by soldiers who felt "threatened", assuring that most of those killed were in a chaotic situation.
“Depriving people of humanitarian aid constitutes a serious violation” of international humanitarian law, Borrell said.
"Unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza must be guaranteed," added the head of European diplomacy.
The President of the EU Commission
Ursula von der Leyen
says she is "deeply disturbed by the images coming from Gaza. Every effort must be made to investigate the incident and guarantee transparency. Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and the "Access to them must be guaranteed. We stand alongside civilians, we urge their protection in line with international law", he writes on
Paris calls for "an independent investigation"
into the 112 Palestinian deaths in Gaza: this was announced by the Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné.
Speaking to France Inter, Séjourné said: "I want to be very clear today, we will ask for explanations and an independent investigation will be needed to determine what happened"
Late yesterday evening, French President
Emmanuel Macron
expressed on and respect for international law".
For further information ANSA Agency 'Firing on crowd in Gaza, 112 dead'.
No agreement at the UN on the sentencing text - News - Ansa.it PNA: 'It is a despicable massacre'.
But Israel: 'Most killed by the mob'.
Hamas: 'They were queuing for aid'.
The UN Security Council meets today.
Guterres: 'We need a ceasefire'.
Meloni: 'Deep dismay, ascertain the dynamics of the facts' (ANSA)
The head of European diplomacy
Josep Borrell
also last night on X had denounced "a new carnage" and "totally unacceptable" victims.
“I am horrified by reports of further massacres among Gaza civilians who were desperate for humanitarian aid,” the post read.
“These deaths are completely unacceptable,” the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said, adding: “Depriving people of humanitarian aid constitutes a serious violation” of international humanitarian law.
"Unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza must be guaranteed."
Video Gaza, Israel shows a video of the crowd assaulting aid trucks
Israel last night surprisingly freed around 50 Palestinian detainees
who were arrested after October 7.
The media cite a statement from the Shin Bet (internal security) and the army according to which the decision was reached following overcrowding in prisons.
But the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir wrote on X that in reality those releases were decided by the Shin Bet as a gesture of détente in view of Ramadan.
A move which in his opinion was wrong, he added, having taken place ''on the day in which two Jews were killed in an attack'' in the West Bank.
In the last 10 days, Israeli forces engaged in Gaza have killed ''450 Hamas terrorists''
: this was stated by Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari.
''Since the beginning of the war - he added - we have eliminated over 13 thousand terrorists''.
The spokesperson added that the army has ''dismantled the military structures'' of Hamas's 'Khan Yunis Brigade' (in the south of the Strip) and is completing the work in the nearby districts of Amal and Abassan.
In the north of the Strip, he added, Israeli forces are operating in the Shati refugee camp and in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City ''on the basis of new intelligence information''.
The United States blocks the text condemning the massacre in Gaza at the UN
During the night, at the UN Security Council meeting, the United States blocked a statement condemning the massacre of the crowd waiting for aid yesterday in Gaza.
The US, according to diplomatic sources, is opposed to Israel being mentioned but the discussions will continue.
In a text seen by AFP, Algeria presented a draft statement to the Security Council expressing the "deep concern" of its 15 members, underlining the responsibility of "Israeli forces (who) opened fire".
"Fourteen members supported this text," assured Palestine's permanent observer to the UN Riyad Mansour after the meeting.
“The parties are working on the wording to see if we can reach a statement,” Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said, referring to the possibility of an agreement at a later date.
"The problem is that we don't have all the facts," he added, stating that he wanted to find a wording that would guarantee that "the necessary checks of guilt have been carried out."
The UN Secretary-General said he was "shocked" by these events, which he condemned, and called for an "effective independent investigation" to identify those responsible.
"The humanitarian situation of the civilian population of Gaza is worsening day by day. We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe", commented the French ambassador Nicolas de Rivière.
"It's not the first time I've said it: the Security Council must assume all its responsibilities", he added, once again calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire".
Tajani: ceasefire for humanitarian aid immediately
"Convince Israel and Hamas to an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to arrive and the release of hostages."
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlines this in an interview with Qn.
"We ask the Netanyahu government to ascertain what has happened in these hours and to protect civilians - he continues - At the same time, we plan to help the Palestinians with better coordination of aid to be sent to Gaza by humanitarian organizations: from the Red Cross to the FAO".
China 'strongly' condemns civilian deaths in Gaza
China said it "strongly condemns" the killing of dozens of Palestinians during an aid delivery in the northern Gaza Strip.
“China is shocked by this incident and strongly condemns it,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
"We express our sorrow for the victims and our solidarity with the injured."
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA