Israeli troops killed at least 70 Palestinians and wounded hundreds while looking for aid in Gaza on Tuesday, shooting on tank shells, machine guns and drones. These victims are among the 89 Palestinians killed during attacks through the besieged enclave since dawn.
Israeli soldiers shot the desperate crowd of help seekers on Tuesday morning while they met along the main eastern road in the southern city of Khan Younis. He was the last of a sustained wave of carnage since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States and the United States, launched operations to distribute food in the territory three weeks ago.
The number of deaths is expected to increase because many injured are in critical condition, according to doctors at Nasser hospital, where the victims are treated.
Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal added that more than 200 people had been injured, although reports concerning the number of victims varied.
“Israeli drones shot citizens. A few minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells on citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and injured,” said the spokesman, noting that the crowd had gathered in the hope of receiving flour.
Hani Mahmoud, from Tel Aviv Tribune, reporting from Gaza City, said that Israeli tanks, heavy machine guns and drone strikes “rain” on the crowd, according to eyewitnesses.
The results of more than 70 people have done the deadliest day on GHF sites Tuesday so far. Previously, this record Grim was set up on Monday, when 38 people were killed, mainly in the Rafah region south of Khan Younis.
Reports have indicated that more than 300 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured while trying to collect aid from the GHF since its launch of operations in Gaza on May 26.
The United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called for responsibility after the last murders of the GHF site.
His deputy spokesperson, in the comments made at the United Nations headquarters in New York, said: “The secretary general condemns the loss of life and injury to civilians in Gaza, where once again looking for food.
“It’s unacceptable,” added Farhan Haq. “Yesterday, 338 people were killed and more than 2,800 injured when they were trying to access food, food near the distribution sites.”
‘Shredded into pieces’
The survivors have described horrible scenes.
“Dozens of civilians, including children, have been killed, and no one could help or save lives,” SAEED Abu Liba, 38, told Tel Aviv Tribune.
Yousef Nofal, who described the “massacre” event, said that he had seen many people motionless and bleeding on the ground. The soldiers continued to shoot people as they run away, he said.
“I survived a miracle,” said Mohammed Abu Qeshfa, who mentioned both heavy shots and tanks.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent, Tareq Abu Azzoum, reported by Deir El-Balah in the center of Gaza, cited medical sources at Nasser hospital, saying that many victims were “unidentifiable” because they had been “shredded into pieces” in the attack.
The GHF began to distribute a food aid net in Gaza at the end of May after Israel has partially lifted a total blockage of almost three months on food, medicines and other essential articles, causing fears of famine for the population of 2.3 million. No other aid was authorized by Israel, which in fact maintained the punished blockade in place.
The United Nations and large humanitarian groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, invoking concerns that it favors Israeli military objectives on humanitarian needs and bypassing organizations with decades of experience in the supply of food and medicine in hundreds of locations to the entire Gaza population.
After previous shots, which have been an almost daily event since the opening of the aid centers, the army said that his soldiers had fired on what he called the suspects approaching their positions, although he did not say if these shots hit someone.
The World Health Organization pleaded on Tuesday for fuel to be authorized in Gaza for its few functional hospitals to work.
“For more than 100 days, no fuel has entered Gaza and attempts to recover the actions of the evacuation zones have been refused,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian territories.
Peeperkorn said only 17 of the 36 Gaza hospitals were currently less partially functional. They have a total of around 1,500 beds – about 45% less than before the start of the War of Israel in Gaza.