Catastrophe in the Gaza Strip intensifies calls for ceasefire
Published: Friday, Mar 1st 2024, 16:41
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Following the deaths of many Palestinians on the arrival of aid supplies in the Gaza Strip, international calls for a ceasefire have become louder. At the same time, Israel has been called upon to clarify the circumstances of the deadly catastrophe.
Aid organizations also pointed out the catastrophic humanitarian situation of the approximately 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip. Several Arab countries accused Israel of being responsible for the deaths. Israel's military denies this.
What the incident means for the tough negotiations on a ceasefire was not initially foreseeable. The Israeli media expressed fears that the incident could strengthen Hamas' negotiating position and become a turning point in the war, which has been going on for almost five months.
Different depictions of the deadly catastrophe
What exactly happened on Thursday when an aid convoy arrived remained unclear even the day after. The only thing that is certain is that many desperate people tried to get supplies. According to the health authority controlled by the Islamist Hamas, more than a hundred are said to have died in the process. Over 700 were injured. The total number of Palestinians killed was put at 30,228 on Friday. 71,377 are said to have been injured. The figures cannot be independently verified.
While the Palestinian side claimed that Israeli soldiers had deliberately fired into the crowd, the Israeli military blamed the chaos and crowds for the deaths. Although shots were fired, there were only a few casualties. Army spokesman Peter Lerner told CNN that according to initial findings, a group of people had approached Israeli soldiers. The military then fired warning shots into the air. However, the group continued to approach the soldiers and posed a threat, whereupon the soldiers opened fire. According to Israeli media reports, they are said to have aimed at the legs.
WHO attributes incident to supply situation
The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes the incident in the Gaza Strip to the catastrophic supply situation in the Palestinian territory. People in the coastal strip are so desperate to find food, water and other supplies that they are risking their lives, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said in Geneva on Friday. "This is the real drama, this is the real catastrophe here," he said.
EU wants to pay 50 million euros to UNRWA
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed her "deep concern" about the incident. Every effort must be made to investigate the events and ensure transparency, she wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday. "I am deeply disturbed by the images from Gaza." Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be guaranteed. "We stand by the civilian population and are pressing for their protection in accordance with international law," said von der Leyen. He was "shocked and repulsed by yesterday's killing of innocent civilians in Gaza who are desperately waiting for humanitarian aid." Those responsible should be held accountable, EU Council President Charles Michel also wrote on X.
The EU Commission wants to pay a further 68 million euros in emergency aid for the Palestinians this year. The money is to go to international partners such as the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, the Brussels authority announced on Friday. In addition, 50 million euros already planned are to be disbursed next week to the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has come under criticism. 16 countries recently froze their payments to UNRWA. This followed Israeli accusations that some of the organization's employees were involved in the massacres in Israel on 7 October.
USA: Will push for answers
The US government is in contact with the Israeli government about the incident and is demanding answers. It is the understanding of the US that an investigation is underway, said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Thursday (local time). "We will be following this investigation closely and pressing for answers." Miller added that there was no definite knowledge of what had happened. The "tragedy" could complicate negotiations over a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by the Islamist Hamas.
China also condemned the incident. China was "shocked" by the incident and condemned it, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing on Friday. The People's Republic called on all sides, especially Israel, to cease fire immediately and end the war. The safety of civilians must be safeguarded and an even more serious humanitarian catastrophe avoided, the spokesperson said.
Strong criticism of Israel came from several Arab states. It was a "heinous massacre" perpetrated by Israel, according to a statement issued by the Qatari Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening. The international community must force Israel to comply with international humanitarian law and protect the Palestinian people from violations, said the government in Doha, which is playing an important role in the negotiations on a further ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
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