International condemnation
was
unanimous this Friday after Israeli soldiers opened fire on Thursday in Gaza against a hungry crowd that attacked a humanitarian aid convoy, in a chaotic incident in which Hamas says more than 110 people died.
The United States, the European Union and the UN called for an independent investigation into what happened.
According to the UN, 2.2 million of the 2.4 million inhabitants of this narrow Palestinian territory besieged by Israel are
threatened by famine
after almost five months of conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people according to Palestinian sources.
On Thursday, a hospital doctor and witnesses said Israeli soldiers fired on a hungry crowd that had surrounded a humanitarian aid convoy in northern Gaza.
According to the extremist group Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2007, 112 people were killed and 760 injured.
An Israeli army officer confirmed "limited shooting" by soldiers who felt "threatened" and described "a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and wounded, some of them run over by aid trucks."
Palestinians in Gaza pray this Friday among rubble, after an Israeli bombing in front of a mosque in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Photo: EFE
Washington demands answers
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, admitted that this tragedy complicates negotiations for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinian extremist movement Hamas.
Washington demanded "answers" from Israel after Thursday's tragedy and
called for a "thorough investigation."
Along the same lines, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the leader of the European Council, Charles Michel, urged to analyze what happened.
Germany and France also called for an investigation
, while Italy and Spain considered it "urgent" to reach a truce.
China called for a "ceasefire" and for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza to be guaranteed.
Saudi Arabia, heavyweight in the Arab world, condemned "the attacks by the occupation forces against defenseless civilians."
The Arab League spoke of "a barbaric and brutal act that totally disregards human life."
Qatar, one of the main mediators in the war, called for "international action to immediately end the (Israeli) aggression."
Injured Palestinians, in a Gaza hospital, this Friday.
Photo: REUTERS
The Security Council met urgently on Thursday behind closed doors, after the head of the UN, Antonio Guterres, declared himself "shocked" by the tragedy and called for "an effective independent investigation."
According to Hamas and several witnesses, Israeli soldiers positioned to protect the convoy fired at the crowd that rushed towards the trucks.
At night, new Israeli bombings against Gaza were reported, especially in Khan Younis and Rafah, in the south of the enclave, where thousands of refugees are crowded.
There were also
clashes between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters
in Gaza City and Khan Younis, according to witnesses.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 193 people died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of victims to 30,228 dead.
The truce is delayed
The conflict broke out on October 7, when Islamist commandos killed about 1,160 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped about 250 in southern Israel, according to an AFP count based on Israeli data.
A week-long truce at the end of November allowed a hundred hostages to be exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners, and
Israel estimates that some 130 people remain captive
, 30 of whom have died since then.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground operation to "annihilate" Hamas, a movement it classifies, like the United States and the EU, as a "terrorist" organization.
Israel also imposed a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been trying for weeks to reach an agreement on a six-week truce, the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the entry of large amounts of aid into Gaza.
Following Thursday's tragedy, Biden said there "probably" will not be a deal before the start of Ramadan, which begins around March 10 or 11, as had been thought.
Source: AFP
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