112 Palestinians lost their lives and 760 were injured when thousands of people surrounded an aid convoy in northern Gaza on Thursday. The aid shipments were escorted by soldiers from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), and Hamas blames Israel for firing on civilians. The IDF has admitted that they fired warning shots in connection with the incident, but say most died in the stampede that occurred when the trucks were stormed. The World Food Program has warned against famine in northern Gaza, where around 300,000 people lack food and clean water. Palestinians queue for food in the town of Beit Lahiya in the north of the Gaza Strip. The ticket is from 26 February. Photo: AFP Several injured by shrapnel Around 200 of those injured on Thursday were taken to the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City for treatment. Envoys from the UN are in Gaza, and have visited the injured in the hospital. – We have seen people with gunshot wounds We have seen people who have had to amputate. We have seen children as young as 12 injured, says the head of the Gaza office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Georgios Petropoulos in a video. Over 700 people were injured during the distribution of food in Gaza. Here from al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Photo: Kosay Al Nemer / Reuters Also at the al-Awda hospital, several of the injured are said to have received bullet injuries. In addition, several of the injured are said to have broken bones after the incident, writes the BBC. The UN says they do not know whether the team they have inside Gaza has been allowed to examine those killed after the incident on Thursday. Demand an investigation Britain’s Foreign Minister David Cameron calls the deaths appalling, and that it is now absolutely crucial to have the incident investigated to find out what happened. – This must not happen again, he says, according to the BBC. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and France’s Stephan Sejourne also support the demand for an independent investigation into the incident, writes AFP. While the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says that we must do everything we can to investigate what happened and ensure openness. A spokesperson for the US State Department says that the video of the incident shows how desperate the situation is in Gaza. Asking for the opening of the borders Earlier this week, Secretary General Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council told about the desperate situation in the Gaza Strip. People lack food and emergency aid, and this leads to lawless conditions. At the same time, the trucks with aid shipments are queuing at the border into Gaza. The situation in the Gaza Strip, where people lack food and emergency aid, leads almost to lawless conditions, says the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Secretary General, Jan Egeland. Petropoulos says it is crucial that the borders into Gaza be opened. – We hope that in the next few days we can receive large aid shipments of food to northern Gaza. That way, we can get in touch with people, talk to them, and get an overview of what other needs they have. Want to drop emergency aid from the air US President Joe Biden says within a few days, in cooperation with Jordan, they will drop emergency aid and food from planes over Gaza. – The loss of life is heartbreaking. We must do more, and the United States will do more, said the US president on Friday. US President Joe Biden made promises of emergency aid to Gaza when he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Photo: AFP But critics believe the announcement indicates that Biden has given up on bringing about a ceasefire, so that aid shipments can be brought in. They also do not think the US will force Israel to accept such an effort, writes The Guardian. – Dropping emergency aid from the air is not the solution to ending the suffering. All diplomatic focus should be on ensuring that Israel cancels the resettlement of Gaza, says the humanitarian organization IRC to the newspaper. People flocked as an aid shipment was towed from a plane over Gaza City on Friday. Photo: AFP France and Jordan have already carried out emergency aid drops over Gaza. But this is seen as a far less effective way compared to aid shipments that are driven in by car.
ttn-69
The UN says many of the injured in food queues in Gaza have bullet wounds – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
