More than 100 killed as Israeli forces open fire at people gathered for taking food

GAZA, Feb 29 (SABAH): At least 104 people were killed and 760 injured in a chaotic incident where Israeli troops opened fire as hungry Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

People had swarmed around newly arrived aid trucks in the hope of getting food, when Israeli tanks and drones started shooting at the people in Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, in the Sheikh Ajleen area.

“Most” of the casualties were the result of aid trucks ramming people as everyone tried to escape Israeli fire, according to a local journalist in Gaza, said media reports. 

The tragedy comes as the death toll in the Gaza war surpasses 30,000, more than a half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, United Nations agencies say, and as negotiations between Israel and Hamas reach a potentially pivotal moment.

An Israeli official told media the Israel Defense Forces did use live fire on people surrounding aid trucks as “the crowd approached the forces in a manner that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire. The incident is under review.”