Gazan authorities reported that over 100 individuals lost their lives and hundreds were wounded in a chaotic incident early Thursday morning in Gaza City. The tragic event occurred as a crowd gathered around a convoy of trucks carrying much-needed aid, and the Israeli military opened fire.
Drone footage released by the Israeli military depicts hundreds of people surrounding the trucks on the Al-Rashid coastal road. A video shared on social media captured the sound of gunshots near civilians.
The New York Times; Satellite image by Planet Labs, captured Feb. 14.
Conflicting narratives have emerged from Gazan and Israeli authorities regarding the incident. Gazan health officials described it as a “massacre,” with many individuals sustaining gunshot wounds, while Israeli officials claimed that most casualties were due to a stampede or being struck by trucks.
A Gazan doctor witnessed numerous casualties with gunshot wounds on the street and bodies of individuals who seemed to have been trampled or hit by aid trucks.
The Israeli military released a drone video showcasing a mass stampede, but the quality and editing of the footage make it challenging to verify these claims, adding complexity to the sequence of events leading to the fatalities.
The video, lacking audio, was edited by the Israeli military with various clips spliced together, excluding a crucial moment before many individuals began fleeing from the trucks. Some sought shelter behind walls.
The New York Times; Composite image from drone footage released by the Israeli military
In the drone video, after a cut, several bodies are visible on the ground at the scene, their condition unclear. Some individuals may have been hit by aid trucks in the chaos, with two Israeli military vehicles also present.
The New York Times; Still image from Israeli military drone footage
A separate video from Al Jazeera near the convoy captures gunfire sounds and tracer rounds, originating from the southwest where an Israeli military base is situated. The drone video’s two tanks were stationed around 250 meters from the base on Al-Rashid.
Israel acknowledged that soldiers opened fire only when faced with danger from the advancing crowd.
Another video, filmed several hours later and posted on Instagram, depicts a group of injured individuals on top of a truck.
Wounded and deceased Palestinians were transported to various hospitals in northern Gaza, including Al-Shifa Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital, and Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. According to officials, these hospitals, especially Al-Shifa, are struggling due to damage from the ongoing conflict and shortages of fuel and supplies.
Injured individuals were brought to multiple hospitals in Gaza City
Buildings in Gaza have been extensively damaged during the conflict, leading to the shutdown of many hospitals.
Sources: Damage analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University; satellite image from Copernicus
Note: Data is of Gaza through Feb. 26 at 5:49 p.m. in Gaza and Israel.
The New York Times
The United Nations has issued a warning that famine is imminent for over half a million residents of Gaza. Additionally, one in six children under 2 in northern Gaza is suffering from acute malnutrition. The Gazan health ministry reported that at least six children in the region have died due to dehydration and malnutrition.
Humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza has faced challenges as the United Nations and relief agencies struggle to provide necessary food and supplies amidst Israeli restrictions, airstrikes, and the ground invasion. Civil unrest has also hindered aid distribution as desperate individuals gather around convoys before reaching distribution centers.
President Biden expressed concern that the casualties from the aid convoy incident could impact ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Earlier in the week, he had hoped for a ceasefire agreement by Monday.