Dr. Mohammed Salha, the head of the Gaza City hospital, reported that up to 80% of the wounded in the aid convoy attack on Friday were injured by gunfire, indicating extensive shooting by Israeli troops.
Palestinians mourn near a body at Kamal Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on February 29, 2024, after Israeli soldiers allegedly opened fire at Gaza residents who rushed towards trucks loaded with humanitarian aid amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant Hamas group.
Those wounds accounted for 80% of those wounded in the horrific incident.
According to the Associated Press, at least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others were wounded on Thursday when witnesses say Israeli troops who were nearby opened fire on a crowd of as large crowds of people gathered to pull goods from an aid convoy.
Israel has said many of the dead were trampled in a stampede that resulted from the chaos and their troops fired at some in the crowd who they said moved toward them in a threatening way.
Acting director of Al-Awda Hospital Dr. Mohammed Salha told AP that 176 wounded individuals were brought to his facility, 142 of home had suffered gunshot wounds with the remaining 34 showing injuries that were consistent with being trampled in a stampede.
He further stated that he could not address the cause of death for those killed because their bodies were taken to government-run hospitals to be counted.
The UN, as well as other aid groups, have been begging for safe ways to transfer aid to the beleaguered Palestinians, but have found it nearly impossible to deliver the supplies to most of Gaza due to difficulty coordinating with the Israeli military and the ongoing hostilities that flare up without warning by their very nature.
Additionally, people are desperate and hungry as many in Gaza are malnourished, with substantial numbers of people in the area facing imminent starvation.
The U.N. and other aid groups have been pleading for safe corridors for aid convoys, saying it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies in most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, ongoing hostilities, and the breakdown of public order, including crowds of desperate people who overwhelm aid convoys.
Thursday's convoy wasn't organized by the U.N. Instead, it appeared to have been monitored by the Israeli military, which said its troops were on hand to secure it to ensure it reached northern Gaza.
The ensuing shooting and bloodshed raise questions over whether Israel will be able to keep order if it goes through with its postwar plans for Gaza.
