The head of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has accused Israel of a “massive massacre of Palestinians” and has called for an international investigation after a tragic distribution of humanitarian aid that led to more than a hundred deaths due to Israeli gunfire and a stampede.
“The President of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, strongly condemns the attack by Israeli forces, which killed and injured over 100 Palestinians in search of vital humanitarian aid,” the AU said in a statement released on Saturday on X.
“He calls for an international investigation into the incident so that the perpetrators are held accountable,” the statement said, calling for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”
On Thursday, witnesses claimed that Israeli soldiers had fired on a hungry crowd rushing towards humanitarian aid trucks in the city of Gaza in the north. The death toll stands at 115 with approximately 760 injured, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
These deaths occurred following a warning issued on Tuesday by the World Food Programme (WFP) to the UN Security Council about the risk of an “impending famine” in northern Gaza.
The Israeli army stated that a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded the convoy of 38 humanitarian trucks, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, some crushed.
An Israeli army official confirmed “limited firing” by soldiers who felt “threatened” and mentioned “a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and injured, some run over by aid trucks.”
Meanwhile, the Hamas Health Ministry in Gaza described the events as a “massacre.”
As Israel’s main ally, Washington demanded “answers” from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu after the tragedy and called for “an agreement on a temporary ceasefire.”
US President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the US would participate in humanitarian aid air drops over Gaza in the coming days.
The European Union also called for an investigation and humanitarian ceasefire, while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “an effective independent investigation.”
The war was sparked on October 7 by a bloody attack carried out by Hamas commandos infiltrating from Gaza into southern Israel, leading to the deaths of at least 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.
Around 250 people were taken hostage and brought to Gaza during the attack. According to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held there, with 31 reported dead, after the release of 105 hostages and 240 Palestinians held by Israel during a truce in late November.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to eradicate Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization, along with the US and the European Union.
Israeli bombings and military operations have so far resulted in 30,228 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
Source: Defi Media
