They went out within the 1000’s, tenting in a single day alongside the coastal street within the chilly Gaza night time — making small fires to maintain heat — huddled collectively ready for provides to return so they might feed their households.
What they encountered was demise and harm, as Israeli forces opened hearth towards hungry, determined Palestinians who surged ahead when assist vehicles lastly arrived within the predawn darkish on Thursday, in accordance with three eyewitnesses and a physician who handled the wounded.
“I noticed issues I by no means ever thought I might see,” stated Mohammed Al-Sholi, who had camped out in a single day for an opportunity at getting meals for his household. “I noticed folks falling to the bottom after being shot and others merely took the meals gadgets that had been with them and continued operating for his or her lives.”
Greater than 100 Palestinians had been killed Thursday morning, Gazan well being officers stated, when Israeli forces opened hearth as large crowds of individuals thronged across the assist vehicles.
An Israeli army spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, acknowledged that Israeli troops had opened hearth “when a mob moved in a way which endangered them” with out giving particulars. However he denied the troopers had fired at individuals who had been attempting to get meals. “We didn’t hearth on these looking for assist, regardless of the accusations,” he stated. Many of the deaths had been brought on by trampling in a stampede, Admiral Hagari stated, and a few folks had been hit by assist vehicles.
The truck convoy was lengthy and it was troublesome to find out what occurred within the darkness at totally different areas. However Mr. Al-Sholi and two different witnesses stated in phone interviews that they noticed Israeli forces firing straight at folks as they tried to succeed in the convoy. Mr. Al-Sholi stated he additionally noticed some folks hit by the vehicles within the chaos. A physician at a close-by hospital described seeing scores of individuals with gunshot wounds.
Huge teams of individuals have camped out for assist or raced to convoys in latest weeks, hoping for some deliverance from the extreme starvation that has gripped northern Gaza by way of almost 5 months of an Israeli offensive that has included intense bombardment, a siege and a floor invasion.
Mr. Al-Sholi, a 34-year-old taxi driver, stated he was compelled to hitch the 1000’s of individuals gathered close to the Nabulsi roundabout in Gaza Metropolis as a result of he and his household, together with three younger youngsters, are surviving off little however the spices, minced wheat and wild greens that they will discover.
On Wednesday, he had heard that individuals had acquired luggage of flour from assist vehicles, and there have been rumors that one other convoy was coming. So on round 7 p.m., he went to the Nabulsi roundabout with pals to attend.
He stated he had by no means seen so many individuals gathered in a single place. Others described tens of 1000’s of individuals ready.
“Proper earlier than the vehicles arrived, a tank began to maneuver towards us, it was round 3:30 a.m. and fired few pictures within the air,” Mr. Al-Sholi stated in a telephone interview. “That tank fired no less than one shell. It was darkish and I ran again towards a destroyed constructing and took shelter there.”
When the help vehicles arrived quickly after, folks ran towards them in desperation, and the gunfire began, the witnesses stated.
“As ordinary, when the help vehicles arrived, folks ran towards them to get food and drinks and no matter else they might get,” stated Mohammad Hamoudeh, a photographer in Gaza Metropolis. However when folks reached the vehicles, he stated, “the tanks began firing straight on the folks.”
He added, “I noticed them firing direct machine gun hearth.”
Mr. Hamoudeh stated that, regardless of the worry and panic on the scene, many nonetheless rushed to the provides. “Individuals had been terrified however not everybody, there have been those that risked demise simply so they might get meals,” he stated. “They only wish to reside.”
The witnesses stated that the tanks fired shells towards folks even after they started to run away. They stated tanks arrived between 3 and 4 a.m. and began firing usually towards the Gazans, stopping at round 7 a.m.
The Israeli army didn’t reply to questions on whether or not Israeli tanks opened hearth earlier than or after the help vehicles arrived. Admiral Hagari stated the vehicles had neared Gaza Metropolis round 4:45 a.m.
Partial drone video footage launched by the Israeli army, together with social media movies of the scene analyzed by The New York Occasions, don’t absolutely clarify the sequence of occasions. Movies present panic, together with folks ducking for canopy and taking meals from vehicles.
Mr. Al-Sholi described chaos as he ran from the help vehicles and other people round him had been hit.
“I noticed folks falling to the bottom,” Mr. Al-Sholi stated. “The person subsequent to me was shot within the arm with a bullet and misplaced his finger instantly.”
As he fled, he stated, he noticed about 30 folks on the bottom, both killed or wounded. A type of killed was his cousin, who was shot whereas operating with a bag of flour, he stated. About 150 meters away from one of many tanks, he recalled seeing a boy, about 12 years outdated, mendacity on the bottom along with his face coated with blood.
A 3rd witness, a journalist who spoke on the situation of anonymity for worry of retaliation from the Israeli army, stated the Israeli hearth was so intense it was troublesome to get to the wounded.
Not one of the witnesses reported seeing individuals who had been trampled to demise. Mr. Al-Sholi stated he noticed some individuals who had been hit by vehicles. On Thursday, a physician who went to the scene, Yehia Al Masri, stated he noticed dozens of individuals with gunshot wounds but additionally individuals who appeared to have died in a stampede or to have been hit by assist vehicles.
The tanks stopped firing round 7 a.m., however they didn’t pull again. Individuals began dragging or carrying the useless and wounded, saying the Muslim declaration of religion as they did so fearing the tanks would begin firing once more, stated Mr. Hamoudeh.
A few mile away ambulances had gathered, unable to get any nearer, for worry of being fired on by Israeli forces. Some folks carried or introduced the wounded to them on donkey carts, or took them to hospitals on their very own.
Round 150 wounded folks and 12 of these killed arrived on the Kamal Adwan Hospital, stated Dr. Eid Sabbah, the pinnacle of nursing there. He stated about 95 p.c of the accidents had been gunshot wounds within the chest and stomach.
Lots of the wounded had been in essential situation and required surgical procedure. However the hospital, just like the few others nonetheless functioning in Gaza, suffered from an absence of electrical energy, gas, medical gear and drugs.
Medical employees had been solely capable of carry out 20 operations, with painkillers however with out anesthesia, of their three geared up working rooms, Dr. Sabbah stated. Like meals provides, medical assist has turn out to be scarce during the last 4 months, leaving the few hospitals nonetheless working struggling to deal with sufferers past first assist.
Dr. Sabbah warned that lots of the wounded from Thursday’s taking pictures couldn’t be correctly handled of their hospital.
“Within the I.C.U. there are sufferers who want specializations and medicines and want sophisticated surgical procedures,” he stated. “Their solely hope is to be transferred exterior of Gaza to be handled.”
Nader Ibrahim contributed reporting.