Aid Distribution in Gaza: Who Shot Civilians ? Hamas and Israel Blame Each Other

Hamas accuses Israel of shooting on civilians waiting for food aid in the Gaza Strip, this Friday, March 15. The Islamist group reports 20 dead and at least 155 injured, but the Israeli army denies having fired at them. on civilians.

A new drama on the sidelines of a humanitarian convoy & Gaza. This Friday, March 15, Hamas accusedé the Israeli army for having shot on a crowd of civilians who were waiting for the arrival of humanitarian aid in the north of the Palestinian enclave. According to the Minister of Health&eac; Hamas, the shooting left 20 dead and 155 injured. "The Israeli occupation forces targeted a gathering of citizens waiting for food. #39;humanitarian aid. Until'à Currently, 11 deaths and 100 injuries have been reported. transported é al-Chifa" indicated the Islamist group earlier in the morning. Since then the balance sheet has been updated. reviewed &agrav; the rise.

Witnesses, including Mohammed Ghurab who is director of emergency services at al-Chifa hospital, also reported ;nbsp;"shots […] at people who were gathering&amp ;nbsp;to wait for the truck with food to arrive" &agrav; AFP. The doctor clarified that the shots came from “occupation forces”. Hamas added: that these shots came from "tanks and helicopters". Another witness affirmed, according to the NGO Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, that “the Israeli army opened the fire (…) as soon as the humanitarian aid trucks approached the roundabout. 

Israeli forces have denied all these accusations. They claim that "armed Palestinians" had shot on the crowd. "No tank fire, air strikes or gunfire occurred. carried out “in the direction of civilians,” according to the Israeli army, which explains that after the arrival of the trucks, the “Armed Palestinians continued" &agrav; fire as the crowd of Gazans began to attack. loot trucks".  Still according to the IDF, "a certain number of civilians" have been "écrushedé by trucks". "Press reports that Israeli forces attacked dozens of Gazans à a help distribution point are incorrect" the IDF first wrote in a press release. The army of the Jewish state says it is “analyzing the incident seriously”.

Previous Israeli shooting during food distribution

The facts described this Friday recall another tragedy that occurred on February 29 during # 39;distribution of food aid in the Gaza Strip. Hamas then accusedé the Israeli army for having shot on a crowd of civilians, something that the occupying forces had denied.

The army had ended up recognizing that it was the enemy. the origin of some shots, but had added not to be à the origin of the hundred deaths and hundreds of other injuries, according to the assessment given by Hamas. Israeli forces had explained having opened fire after having been attacked. surrounded by a crowd of civilians and felt a threat to them. They had finally imputed the heavy toll of the crowd movement of civilians who had been jostled and trampled.