The Hamas Ministry of Health said the shelling of Palestinians waiting for help took place on the outskirts of Gaza. Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, spoke of a “horrible war crime”. Eyewitnesses also reported to the AFP news agency that they had been attacked by Israeli soldiers.
“People went to get food and flour because they have nothing to eat,” said Abu Ata Basal, the uncle of one of the injured. “Suddenly tanks appeared and opened fire on people.” Mohammed al-Rifi, who was wounded in the hand and leg, said: “We were on our way to get flour – and they shot at us four times.”
The victims were reportedly taken to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. There, an AFP journalist saw several bodies and injured people. The Israeli army did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
The incident came just a day after at least 12 people were killed and 75 others injured in tank shelling of a UN shelter for internally displaced people in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the UN. The shelling caused international criticism. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken again called on Israel on Thursday to protect civilians during military action in the Gaza Strip. The UN shelter is “important and must be protected.”
The Israeli army said it was investigating the incident at the UN shelter. It is also being investigated whether the shelling was “Hamas fire”. At the same time, the Israeli military rejected statements from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and those affected that the people in the accommodation had been asked to leave the area.
The Israeli army has set a deadline of Friday 5 p.m. (local time, 4 p.m. CET) for the evacuation of the residents of the accommodation – where thousands of refugees are said to be housed, a UNRWA spokeswoman told the AFP news agency. The Israeli army rejected this. “No specific evacuation request was issued,” it said.
According to an AFP journalist, Chan Junis was again heavily bombed on Thursday. Many residents tried to flee the city. The Israeli army said several Palestinian militants were killed “in close combat.”
The war between Israel and Hamas, which the USA and the EU have classified as a terrorist organization, was triggered by their attack on Israel on October 7th. According to Israeli sources, Hamas fighters killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 240 people as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a massive military operation in the Palestinian territory. According to the latest Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, at least 25,900 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli offensive began.
International efforts to end the war, or at least a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, suffered a setback on Thursday. The Foreign Ministry of Qatar, one of the most important mediating states, said it was “dismayed” by statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to an audio recording obtained by Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu said at a meeting with families of the hostages that he did not thank Qatar for its role as a mediator – because the emirate was “even more problematic” than the United Nations or the Red Cross. Qatar has the opportunity to put pressure on the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, said Netanyahu. “And why? Because it funds them.”
The Foreign Ministry in Doha called Netanyahu’s comments “irresponsible and damaging to efforts to save innocent lives.” They would undermine the mediation process for reasons that “seem to serve Netanyahu’s political career more” than the “Israeli hostages.”
