Pressure is mounting on Israel over the deaths of Palestinians waiting in line for aid in an incident in which soldiers opened fire on a crowd, with several countries backing calls for a United Nations investigation.
Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces killed more than 100 people trying to reach an aid convoy early Thursday.
The Gaza Strip, especially the north, has been hit by a humanitarian disaster almost five months since the start of an Israeli air and ground offensive that destroyed much of the enclave and brought the population to the brink of starvation.
An Israeli army spokesman claimed that "dozens" of people died in the stampede or were run over by trucks as they tried to escape, although he also said that IDF soldiers "opened fire" after feeling threatened.
As people eat animal feed and even cacti to survive, and medical staff say children are dying in hospitals from malnutrition and dehydration, the UN says it faces "insurmountable difficulties" in delivering aid.
Although accounts of what happened vary widely, the incident underscored the collapse of regular aid deliveries in the occupied Gaza Strip with no administration in place, while the United Nations' main agency, UNRWA, has been hampered by an investigation into alleged links to Hamas.
Health officials in Gaza say at least 112 people were killed and 280 injured after Israeli forces opened fire on an aid distribution point. The total number of victims in Gaza has exceeded 30.000, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
"We've asked the government of Israel to investigate, and it's our assessment that they're taking this seriously," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday.
"They are investigating what happened, in order to avoid such tragedies from happening again."
Many countries have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but US President Joe Biden said Thursday's incident would complicate negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
From airdrops of humanitarian aid to ships from Cyprus, the US is urgently looking for ways to feed the people of Gaza as Israel resists pressure from Washington for greater access to aid and efforts to broker a truce in the war, Reuters reported yesterday.
France and Germany supported the call for an international investigation. The US also called for a thorough investigation into the incident. India said it was "deeply shocked" by the accident and Brazil assessed that the incident crossed "ethical or legal boundaries".
South Africa, which sued Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice, condemned the tragedy.
The Israeli portal N12 stated that the incident showed the lack of any civilian administration or rule of law in Gaza, and that this "may put Israel in a difficult position in terms of legitimacy to continue fighting."
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, expressed "deep indignation" and "the strongest condemnation of these shootings". Germany said that "the Israeli army must fully explain how the mass panic and shooting occurred."
In Israel, far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for "full support" for Israeli soldiers who "reacted extraordinarily against the Gaza mob that tried to harm them."
However, in a commentary on the N12 portal, it was stated that the incident showed the lack of any civilian administration or rule of law in Gaza, and that this "may put Israel in a difficult position in terms of legitimacy to continue fighting".
A columnist for the largest daily "Jediot Ahronot" wrote that this incident "will create a turning point in the war" and that it could "exert international pressure that Israel will not be able to withstand, including from the White House."
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who also called for an investigation, said Israel has a responsibility to ensure more aid reaches Gaza by opening more crossings and removing bottlenecks and bureaucratic obstacles.
"This must not happen again. We cannot separate what happened yesterday from inadequate aid," he said in the statement.
Biden said the delivery of US air aid would take place in the coming days, but offered no further details. Other countries, including Jordan and France, have already delivered air aid to Gaza.
"We need to do more and the United States will do more," Biden told reporters, adding that "the aid that's coming to Gaza is not nearly enough."
With people eating animal feed and even cacti to survive, and medical staff saying children are dying in hospitals of malnutrition and dehydration, the UN has said it faces "insurmountable difficulties" in delivering aid.
OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, said the obstacles include "crossing closures, movement and communication restrictions, demanding vetting procedures, unrest, damaged roads and unexploded ordnance".
Israel maintains that there are no restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza and that the quantity and pace of delivery depends on the UN. The Israeli military said Thursday's delivery was made by private individuals as part of a humanitarian operation it had been overseeing for the past four days.
OCHA spokesman Jens Lerke said the delivery was made without any coordination with the United Nations.
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