The IDF has claimed that its troops solely opened hearth to guard themselves from the hungry crowd
A lot of the Palestinians killed when troops opened hearth at a crowd massed close to an assist convoy within the Gaza Strip died on account of a stampede – not from gunshots, the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) has claimed.
“The IDF has concluded an preliminary overview of the unlucky incident the place Gazan civilians have been trampled to demise and injured as they charged to the help convoy,” navy spokesman Daniel Hagari mentioned on Sunday in a press release. “Our preliminary overview has confirmed that no strike was carried out by the IDF towards the help convoy.”
The assertion got here amid worldwide outcry over the deaths of greater than 100 folks and the wounding of 750 others as hungry civilians waited to obtain meals assist within the besieged Palestinian enclave on Thursday. Gaza well being authorities accused Israeli troops of an “unprovoked assault” on civilians, and UN investigators reported a “massive variety of gunshot wounds.”
“The IDF has concluded an preliminary overview of the unlucky incident the place Gazan civilians have been trampled to demise and injured as they charged to the help convoy. Our preliminary overview has confirmed that no strike was carried out by the IDF in direction of the help convoy.”Watch the total… pic.twitter.com/vrkC4nvYnI
— Israel Protection Forces (@IDF) March 3, 2024
Hagari basically reiterated the claims he made earlier than the IDF investigation, saying troops have been facilitating an assist supply and fired warning pictures as civilians charged towards the humanitarian convoy on the sight of the vans. “The vast majority of Palestinians have been killed or injured as the results of the stampede,” he mentioned.
After firing warning pictures to disperse the gang, IDF troopers began retreating, the spokesman claimed. At that time, he added, “a number of looters approached our forces and posed a right away menace to them. In line with the preliminary overview, the troopers responded towards a number of people.”
Thursday’s incident might be additional investigated by Israel’s “unbiased” Truth Discovering and Evaluation Mechanism (FFAM) to assist stop such tragedies sooner or later, Hagari mentioned. “Our conflict is in opposition to Hamas, not in opposition to the folks of Gaza,” he insisted. “That is why we’re facilitating assist, creating humanitarian corridors, establishing unilateral humanitarian pauses, and exercising warning in our use of drive.”
Greater than 30,000 folks have been killed in Gaza for the reason that conflict started in October, and the UN has estimated that 570,000 individuals are ravenous. Hamas triggered the battle by launching shock raids on southern Israeli villages, killing over 1,100 folks and taking a whole lot of hostages again to Gaza.
Israel’s authorities has vowed to eradicate Hamas and has blamed the group for placing Gazans in hurt’s method by launching and coordinating assaults from civilian areas. Hamas has ruled the enclave since 2007.
