Tragedy in Gaza/ Pressure on Israel increases

2024-03-02 11:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The circumstances of what happened in Gaza on Thursday are still unclear. The humanitarian aid was supposed to go to the Palestinian area, where the Israeli army is fighting the terrorist group Hamas. Chaotic scenes were seen after the arrival of aid trucks. People were pushed towards the trucks to get help. Shots were heard. According to the data of the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas, 112 people were killed and 760 others were injured. The Israeli side said that "there was a chaotic push" where thousands of people fled the aid convoy and some were crushed by trucks, others were killed in the mass of people, which Israel is trying to prove with an aerial view.

Strong international reactions

The representative of the Palestinian Authority at the UN, Riad Mansur, accused Israel of deliberately killing Palestinians. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari denied the allegations. "There was no Israeli army attack on the aid convoy," he said. Meanwhile, on an international scale, there is great shock over the tragic case in Gaza and Israel faces massive accusations. In New York, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation.

"The Security Council must say, that the cup is full," the representative of the Palestinian Authority to the UN, Riad Mansur, told reporters.

Even the US wants answers. "We need urgent information about what happened," said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. Even the French Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, asks for clarification. "There must be an independent investigation to determine what happened," he told French television, Inter. France must address openly, if "cruel acts occur in Gaza". German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on Platform X that "it must be fully explained by the Israeli army how it came to the mass panic and the shooting". The spokeswoman of the German Foreign Ministry said that Berlin is in contact with the Israeli government and has made the expectation clear.

Germany increases humanitarian aid

Due to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, Germany increased aid to the population in Gaza by 20 million euros. The German Foreign Minister, Baerbock, said that the aid is not enough. In recent weeks, the number of trucks with humanitarian aid, medicines and other aid arriving in Gaza has decreased. "This is unacceptable. The Israeli government must enable safe and unhindered access for humanitarian aid without delay," the minister demanded.

The bloody conflict in Gaza began after Hamas's massive attack against Israel on October 7. Hundreds of Hamas terrorists attacked areas in southern Israel and a pop festival five months ago. According to Israeli data, they killed 1,160 people and took 250 hostages who are being kept hidden in underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, Israel has launched an expanded military counter-offensive with the aim of destroying Hamas. In these battles, according to the data of the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Hamas is categorized by Germany, EU, USA and other countries as a terrorist organization./DW