At least one dead as Israeli forces open fire on crowd of starving Palestinians waiting for humanitarian convoy in northern Gaza.
At least one Palestinian was killed and many others injured in northern Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on desperate crowds waiting for food aid, according to witnesses and videos.
Footage verified by Tel Aviv Tribune shows Palestinians fleeing for safety along a crumbling coastal road in northern Gaza on Monday – which has been almost completely cut off from aid amid the ongoing war by Israel – as the sound of heavy gunfire rings out.
The videos also show clouds of gray smoke from smoke bombs and thousands of Palestinians gathering in the area west of Gaza City.
At least one person was killed in the incident, according to witnesses who shared images of a man sprawled on the ground with a head injury.
The Wafa news agency reported that at least 10 people were also injured in the attack.
Victims and witnesses told Tel Aviv Tribune that the Israeli attack was unprovoked.
“I fell,” said one man at a hospital where he was rushed for treatment. “Then I heard gunshots and I don’t know what happened.”
Another man said he was only going to the area to buy flour.
“We want to feed our children… like everyone else, so we went to get flour. But then we were shot at, shells were fired and tanks advanced towards us,” he said.
The footage also shows Palestinian children rushing to pick up flour from the ground after a bag burst open.
The attack is the second of its kind in as many days and comes amid a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine-like conditions affecting some 2.3 million people.
Despite the desperate situation, Israel – which controls the entry points into Gaza – has refused to authorize more aid.
Several UN agencies warned on Monday that the “alarming” lack of food and water and the spread of disease could lead to an “explosion” of child deaths in Gaza.
“We have been warning for weeks that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a nutritional crisis,” said Ted Chain, UNICEF deputy executive director for humanitarian action.
“If the conflict does not end now, child nutrition will continue to fall, leading to preventable deaths or health problems that will affect Gaza’s children for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences. »
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 29,092 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, when Hamas – which governs Gaza – launched a surprise attack in the southern Israel.
Some 1,139 people have been killed in Hamas attacks in Israel.