The American New York Times reported that eyewitnesses and doctors confirmed that the Israeli army opened fire on Palestinians who were trying to obtain food supplies, killing them and wounding many of them.

The newspaper quoted an eyewitness, in its report on the violence with which Israeli forces faced the hungry citizens of Gaza, as saying that he saw people falling to the ground after being shot, while others took the food supplies they had with them and continued running for their lives.

The report indicated that thousands of Gazans were camped out overnight on the coastal road in the cold Gaza night, gathering around small fires they had lit, waiting for supplies to arrive so they could feed their families.

Openning fire on desperate Palestinians

A number of eyewitnesses and one doctor who treated the wounded at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza said that what they saw were dead and wounded, while Israeli forces opened fire on desperate Palestinians who moved forward when relief trucks finally arrived before dawn on Thursday.

Mohammed al-Shuli, a 34-year-old taxi driver, who had been camping all day to get food for his family, said: “I saw things I never thought I would see. I saw people falling to the ground after being shot, and others simply taking the food they had been given.” They continued to run for their lives."

He added that amid the chaos and bloodshed, relief trucks ran over some people.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces killed more than 100 people and wounded 700 others in a "massacre" while the convoy was traveling on a dark road.

Targeting the chest and abdomen

Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Eid Sabah told the American newspaper that about 150 wounded and 12 dead were taken to Kamal Adwan Hospital. He said that about 95% of the injuries were from gunshots to the chest and abdomen.

The newspaper quoted Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari as claiming that the Israeli forces did not open fire, either from the air or on land, at those seeking assistance.

It added that the Israeli army released a heavily edited video to deflect blame, but the footage did little to explain what led to mass casualties, as people crowded around food aid trucks in northern Gaza.

Unprecedented numbers

Al-Shuli said he went to meet the caravan because he and his family, including three young children, were living on little more than the spices, crushed wheat, and wild vegetables they could find.

On Wednesday, he heard that people had received bags of flour from relief trucks, and there were rumors that another convoy was coming. So he went to the traffic circle with friends to wait, and he said that he had never seen so many people gathered in one place before.

He added that just before the trucks arrived, a tank started moving towards them and fired a few shots in the air and the area was dark, so he started running back towards a destroyed building to take cover.

Shoot regularly

Muhammad Hamouda said when the trucks arrived, the tanks started shooting directly at people, adding: “I saw them firing machine guns directly.”

Witnesses confirmed to the newspaper that Israeli tanks opened fire on people even when they started to run away, and continued to do so regularly from 03:00 am until approximately 07:00 am local time.

Source: New York Times +Aljazeera