The international community called on Friday March 1 for a ceasefire in Gaza and an investigation after Israeli shooting and a stampede during a distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza City which turned into tragedy on Thursday February 29. Shooting at this time left more than 110 dead, according to Hamas, in the Palestinian territory threatened with famine.
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Main ally ofIsraelWashington demanded “ answers » of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu after the tragedy during a distribution in the city of Gaza and pleaded for “ an agreement on a temporary ceasefire “. L’European Union called for an investigation and a humanitarian ceasefire, while the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked ” an effective independent investigation “.
France demanded a “independent investigation” and Germany called for a “humanitarian truce”. The UN Security Council is continuing its discussions on a draft declaration on the tragedy in Gaza.
“ A large number of gunshot wounds »
On Thursday, witnesses said that Israeli soldiers fired on a hungry crowd who was rushing towards humanitarian aid trucks in the northern city of Gaza. The death toll is 115 dead and around 760 injured, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. An Israeli army official confirmed “ limited shots » of soldiers who felt “ threat » and mentioned “ a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and injured, some run over by aid trucks “.
A team ofUNwho visited the wounded on Friday at al-Chifa hospital in Gaza City, noted “ a large number of gunshot wounds “, declared Mr. Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. He added that 200 injured people were still in this hospital out of more than 700 who had been transported there. These figures contradict the Israeli assertion of ” limited shots “.
Humanitarian airdrop
“ Innocent people are trapped in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get help “, declared American President Joe Biden this Friday after announcing Friday that the United States would participate “ in the coming days » to airdrops of humanitarian aid on the Gaza Strip, besieged by Israel since the start of the war against Hamas almost five months ago. “ We will join our friends in Jordan and other countries in airdrops of food and other goods » on Gaza, the president said. Several countries have already dropped aid shipments, including Jordan with the support of several countries including France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as well as Egypt which took off several planes on Thursday in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates.
According to the UN, 2.2 million people, or the vast majority of the populationare threatened with famine in Gaza, particularly in the north where destruction, fighting and looting make the delivery of aid almost impossible. A famine “ is almost inevitable, if nothing changes », Warned again on Friday the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), Jens Laerke. Cargoes only arrive in very limited quantities, mainly from Egypt via Rafah. They are subject to the green light from Israel which imposes a blockade on the Gaza Strip. “ We will insist that Israel facilitate the entry of more trucks and increase the access routes to Gaza (…) There is really not enough aid reaching Gaza “, declared Joe Biden.
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Many dead children
The war and shortages have notably brought the health system to its knees, making the delivery of humanitarian aid all the more necessary. The Hamas Ministry of Health said Friday that four children had died from “ malnutrition and dehydration » at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli bombing operations and ground attacks have left at least 30,228 dead in Gaza so far.
On Friday, dozens of strikes again targeted Khan Younes and Rafah in the south, according to the Hamas government. Ground fighting continues in Gaza City as well as in Khan Younes.
Qatar, the United States and Egypt have been trying for weeks to extract a compromise from both camps that would make possible a truce associated with new releases of hostages. No concrete progress has been announced so far. Hamas is demanding in particular a definitive ceasefire before any agreement on the release of the hostages, as well as the lifting of the Israeli blockade and the entry of increased humanitarian aid. Israel, for its part, repeats that a truce should be accompanied by the release of all hostages and would not mean the end of the war, promising that it will continue until the total elimination of Hamas.
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