Israel denies firing on Palestinians during humanitarian aid delivery in Gaza

More than a hundred Gazans were killed and another 700 injured today chaotic event during the distribution of Eat And humanitarian aid In Gaza city. After the incident, the Israeli army clarified that its troops did not open fire on the civilians who surrounded the convoy at the time.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson expressed himself along these lines, Daniel Hagariwho reviewed the events in a video: “This morning, the IDF coordinated a convoy 38 trucks To provide additional humanitarian assistance to residents of northern Gaza. This humanitarian aid came from Egypt, passed through a security checkpoint at the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing into Israel, and then entered Gaza to be distributed by private contractors. As these vital humanitarian supplies reached Gazans in need, thousands of Gazans rushed into trucks, Some began violently pushing and even crushing other Gazans to death, while looting humanitarian supplies., “Dozens of Gazans were killed and injured in this unfortunate incident.”

“These are the facts: At 4:40 a.m., the first aid truck of the humanitarian convoy began crossing the humanitarian corridor we were securing. Yes, The IDF was securing the humanitarian corridor so the aid convoy could reach its destination in northern Gaza, Our tanks were there to secure the humanitarian corridor for the aid convoy. Our UAVs were in the air to give our forces a clear image from above,” Hagari explained.

“During this humanitarian operation, at 4:45 am a mob ambushed the aid trucks, bringing the convoy to a halt,” the spokesperson said. As you can see, the tanks that were there to protect the convoy saw the Gazans being crushed and carefully attempted to disperse the crowd with a few warning shots. When hundreds of people turned into thousands and the situation went out of control, the tank commander decided to retreat to avoid harm to the thousands of Gazans present there. As a soldier, I believe that they retreated safely without risking their lives by firing into the crowd. “Israel Defense Forces operate in accordance with the rules of engagement and international law.”

,No IDF attacks on aid convoys, I want to repeat this. The IDF did not attack the aid convoy. In contrast, the IDF was conducting a humanitarian operation there to secure the humanitarian corridor and allow aid convoys to reach designated delivery points so that humanitarian aid could reach Gaza civilians in the north who needed it. We have been carrying out such humanitarian operations without any problem for the last four nights. “This was the first night we held this type of event,” Hagari said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson said: “This humanitarian aid was coordinated by Israel. For the people of Gaza. We want humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza. We are working tirelessly to make this happen. Israel does not impose any limits on the amount of aid entering Gaza. “We are working closely with humanitarian organizations and the international community to help solve the problem of aid delivery within Gaza.”

,Our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza. We are in a war we did not start. We have not searched for it. Hamas started this war when it massacred and abducted Israeli civilians on October 7, and then returned to Gaza and hid behind Gaza civilians, using them as human shields. We understand the suffering of the innocent people of Gaza. That’s why we’re looking for ways to expand our humanitarian efforts. That is why we carry out humanitarian operations like the one we did this morning,” he concluded.

On Wednesday, 116 trucks of humanitarian aid entered the strip, an insufficient amount to meet the immediate needs of the enclave engulfed in an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, and less than the average of 300 trucks that entered daily before the war.

According to UNRWA, about 2,300 trucks have entered Gaza so far in February, 50% fewer than in January.

Given the difficulty of launching humanitarian aid by land, several countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, France and the United Arab Emirates, have launched packages of food and supplies by air, a strategy that benefited residents of the north a day earlier. It happened for the first time. Of Enclave. America is also considering resorting to this formula.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, met with the new UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Gaza Reconstruction, Sigrid Kaag, in Jerusalem last night, and the Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, also spoke by telephone last night on the issue with his American talked to. Colleague, Lloyd Austin.

(with information from EFE)