Over 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured in the Gaza Strip Thursday, Hamas-affiliated health officials said – which Israel blamed on a massive stampede among people desperately clamoring for aid.
About 104 people were killed while waiting for aid at the al-Nabusi roundabout to the west of Gaza City, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said, accusing Israeli troops of opening fire.
There were so many dead and wounded that medics were overwhelmed and could not cope with the severity of their injuries, he said.
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A video posted on social media that Reuters location verified to the roundabout appeared to show several motionless bodies loaded on trucks.
Additional, unverified video also showed bloodied victims in a truck, as well as medical personnel treating patients on a hospital floor, and shrouded bodies.
“We don’t want aid like this. We don’t want aid and bullets together. There are many martyrs,” a man could be heard saying.
Israeli officials, however, claimed that the bulk of the casualties were from a stampede when the desperate Gazans tried to rush aid trucks, the Times of Israel reported.
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After the crowding, a smaller group approached the IDF troops stationed nearby, which prompted the soldiers to fire warning shots into the air and shoot at the individuals’ legs, the outlet claimed.
An investigation apparently found that the troops hit about 10 Palestinians.
With Post wires
