At least 115 people were killed and at least 760 were injured after Israeli forces opened fire as Palestinian civilians waited for food on Thursday, according to Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.
It’s one of the single deadliest tragedies in Gaza since Israel’s war against Hamas began on October 7.
There are now growing calls for an independent inquiry into the incident. The United Nations has said an independent investigation is required to establish the facts, and nations such as France have backed that appeal.
Here’s where things stand:
- What happened: A convoy of at least 18 food trucks arrived in northern Gaza on Thursday morning, sent by several countries in the region. Palestinian civilians gathered around the newly arrived aid trucks in the hope of getting food, and Israeli forces soon started shooting, witnesses said. The aid trucks tried to exit the area, accidentally ramming others and causing further deaths and injuries, the eyewitnesses told CNN. The Israeli military has given a different account of the circumstances. In an update on Thursday, the Israeli military said that Israeli tanks had fired warning shots to disperse the crowd around the aid convoy, after seeing that people were being trampled.
- Global calls for investigation: On Friday, the White House said that the US asked Israel to look into the tragedy. Germany also called on Israel to “fully investigate” the deaths. France said it would support the United Nations’ call for an independent inquiry, with the French foreign affairs minister calling the events on the ground “indefensible.”
- What it could mean for the war: The deaths come at a critical time for the conflict, with negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a deal to pause fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza reaching a potentially pivotal moment. Hamas senior member Izzat Al-Risheq warned that the killing of people collecting aid from trucks in Gaza could lead to the failure of ongoing talks. US officials on Friday said there are no indications that discussions had been significantly derailed — but much hinges on an expected Hamas response to what has been discussed in Paris and Doha in the past week between the other countries involved: Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the US.
- Against the backdrop of a dire humanitarian situation: More than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, United Nations agencies warned earlier this week, as the war stretches toward the five-month mark. Aid has been so sparse that, when available, it has often prompted panic. The UN reported Friday that at least 10 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza and that number can be expected to rise.
- The flow of aid has slowed: The Rafah crossing, where most aid had been delivered into Gaza, is now working at a reduced rate, and the alternate Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel is being blocked by demonstrators calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The Jordanian military made three airdrops of aid into parts of Gaza City on Friday and US President Joe Biden announced the US will also be making its own airdrops of supplies in the coming days.
