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Hamas, Israel accuse each other after over 100 killed in Gaza aid truck incident

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Over 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were injured as a delivery of humanitarian aid turned into chaos on Thursday, Feb. 29, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. However, it’s unclear how the deadly event unfolded.

Israel and the Gaza Health Ministry are offering different accounts of what led up to the incident near Gaza. Reuters reported that Israel blames the deaths and injuries on victims being trampled and run over as hundreds rushed delivery trucks. However, Gaza health authorities interviewed by The Washington Post accuse Israeli troops of firing on Palestinians waiting for aid delivery.

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An Israeli spokesperson told The Associated Press that the Gaza Health Ministry’s account is inaccurate. He maintains that Israeli soldiers fired their weapons in a separate incident from the alleged stampede. The spokesperson contends that during a separate event, which reportedly occurred a few hundred meters away, Israeli forces opened fire when only some in the crowd posed an “imminent threat.”

When asked by CBS News how the threat is defined, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said that anybody approaching forces after being warned not to is believed to “pose a threat.”

Witnesses who spoke with CBS News did not refute a desperate rush for food but said Israeli forces “opened fire quickly and without provocation.”

Hamas reportedly said that the incident could jeopardize talks aimed at a new cease-fire and the further release of more Israeli hostages. CBS News reported that the deal would likely include a significant increase in the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. When a reporter asked President Joe Biden whether the incident would “complicate” talks in Qatar, Biden said, “I know it will.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the Feb. 29 incident is “yet another crime against humanity,” according to ABC News. CBS News reported that China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have also condemned Israel for its alleged actions.

International pressure is already mounting on Israel to reduce the civilian death toll. The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll for Palestinians has now surpassed 30,000 people, but the ministry does not distinguish between combatant and civilian deaths.

Regarding the deadly event in Gaza, an anonymous official with the IDF, told The Washington Post the claimed stampede “has nothing to do with the IDF [but] the IDF is being blamed for it, which is outrageous and ridiculous.”

Aerial footage released by the IDF shows hundreds of people rushing toward a convoy of trucks. An independent analyst by The Washington Post determined that the area in the video is in southwest Gaza City, but could not verify the date the video was taken.

A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense Force refutes the claims of the Israeli military.

“People were waiting from the last night expecting flour trucks to arrive,” the spokesperson said. “While they were waiting, the tanks started firing shells and bullets.”

The Israeli military argues that tanks fired warning shots to disperse the crowd after the situation with aid delivery became out of hand.

The U.S. is also seeking answers when it comes to the deadly events. A Pentagon spokesperson said the U.S. is pushing Israel for an investigation.

“We’re very saddened at the loss of innocent lives here,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder of the Pentagon said. “I mean, these are human beings that are trying to feed themselves. And so, I think we’re all kind of saying, you know, what happened here? And so, again, the White House has reached out and asked Israel to investigate this.”

Meanwhile, international organizations have issued warnings about hunger among people in Gaza. As deliveries become scarcer, The New York Times found that the biggest threat of starvation is in northern Gaza.

The Times reports that more than 15% of children ages six months to 23-months-old were acutely malnourished in January. UNICEF said the condition was rarely seen in Gaza before the start of the current war.

“Such a decline in a population’s nutritional status in three months is unprecedented globally,” UNICEF said in a press release.

According to The New York Times, Israel has been accused by international groups of withholding humanitarian aid, shooting at UN vehicles delivering aid and restricting access to food and basic necessities.

Israeli officials deny the claims, and Israel said it is not responsible for Palestinians going hungry. The Israeli military instead accused Hamas of stealing aid bound for those in Gaza, and said the UN is failing to deliver food. However, the UN denies Israel’s assertion that it is failing to deliver food.

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[KARAH RUCKER]

MORE THAN 100 PALESTINIANS KILLED AND HUNDREDS INJURED, ACCORDING TO THE HAMAS-RUN GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY, AS A DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID TURNED INTO CHAOS NEAR GAZA CITY, THURSDAY.

HOW IT HAPPENED, DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK.

ISRAEL AND THE HEALTH MINISTRY ARE GIVING DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS.

ISRAEL SAYS PEOPLE DIED WHEN THEY WERE TRAMPLED AND RUN OVER, AS HUNDREDS RUSHED DELIVERY TRUCKS.

BUT GAZA HEALTH AUTHORITIES AND WITNESSES INTERVIEWED BY THE WASHINGTON POST ACCUSE ISRAELI TROOPS OF FIRING ON PALESTINIANS, AS THEY WAITED FOR AID DELIVERY.

AN ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON SAID THAT’S NOT TRUE.

THE IDF SAYING A STAMPEDE HAPPENED FIRST, AND WHEN TROOPS FELT THREATENED BY THE CROWD – SOME FORCES OPENED FIRE.

THE IDF SPOKESMAN SAYS THE BULK OF THE DEATHS OCCURRED PRIOR TO ANY SHOTS FIRED.

CBS NEWS ASKED ABOUT THE THREAT ISRAELI TROOPS SAY THEY ENCOUNTERED.

AN IDF SPOKESPERSON SAID ANYBODY APPROACHING FORCES AFTER BEING WARNED NOT TO IS BELIEVED TO “POSE A THREAT.”

WITNESSES WHO SPOKE WITH CBS NEWS SAY THERE WAS A DESPERATE RUSH FOR FOOD –

BUT SAY ISRAELI FORCES OPENED FIRE WITHOUT PROVOCATION.

AERIAL FOOTAGE RELEASED BY THE IDF SHOWS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE RUSHING TOWARD A CONVOY OF TRUCKS.

THE POST INDEPENDENTLY ANALYZED THE VIDEO AND DETERMINED IT TO BE AN AREA IN SOUTHWEST GAZA CITY BUT COULD NOT VERIFY THE DATE.

A SPOKESPERSON FOR GAZA’S CIVIL DEFENSE FORCE REFUTES ISRAEL’S NARRATIVE.

HE TOLD THE POST, “PEOPLE WERE WAITING FROM LAST NIGHT EXPECTING FLOUR TRUCKS TO ARRIVE. WHILE THEY WERE WAITING, THE TANKS STARTED FIRING SHELLS AND BULLETS.”

AN IDF SPOKESMAN TOLD THE POST THE STAMPEDE “HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE IDF BUT THE IDF IS BEING BLAMED FOR IT, WHICH IS OUTRAGEOUS AND RIDICULOUS.”

THE ISRAELI MILITARY ARGUES TANKS FIRED WARNING SHOTS TO DISPERSE THE CROWD, AFTER THE SITUATION HAD GOTTEN OUT OF HAND.

A PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON SAID THE U-S IS PUSHING FOR AN INVESTIGATION.

[PAT RYDER]

“WE’RE VERY SADDENED AT THE LOSS OF INNOCENT LIVES HERE. I MEAN, THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS THAT ARE TRYING TO FEED THEMSELVES. AND SO, I THINK WE’RE ALL KIND OF LOOKING AT THAT AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENED HERE? AND SO, AGAIN, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS REACHED OUT AND ASKED ISRAEL TO INVESTIGATE THIS.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

HAMAS SAID THE INCIDENT COULD JEOPARDIZE TALKS AIMED AT A CEASEFIRE DEAL THAT WOULD SEE THE RELEASE OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES AND LIKELY INCLUDE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE FLOW OF AID TO GAZA.

WHEN A REPORTER ASKED IF THE INCIDENT WOULD “COMPLICATE” TALKS IN QATAR, PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID HE BELIEVES IT WILL.

INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE IS ALREADY MOUNTING ON ISRAEL TO REDUCE THE CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL.

OFFICIALS IN HAMAS-RUN GAZA SAY THE NUMBER OF PALESTINIANS KILLED HAS SURPASSED 30,000.

MEANWHILE, AID ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ISSUED A DIRE WARNING ABOUT FAMINE AMONG GAZANS.

HUNGER – A PROBLEM WELL BEFORE THE WAR – HAS MAGNIFIED.

PART OF ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS

IS THE INCREASE OF HUMANITARIAN AID TRUCKS TO DEVASTATED AREAS.

BUT WITHOUT AN AGREEMENT –

DESPERATION GROWS.

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED “THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM” SUSPENDED ITS DELIVERIES TO GAZA CITING LOOTERS AND CROWDS ATTACKING TRUCKS.

SIMILAR TO CLAIMS FROM ISRAEL AT THE CENTER OF THE LATEST TRAGEDY IN GAZA.