Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor confirms that our initial investigations demonstrate that the Israeli army’s gunfire caused the deaths of dozens of Palestinian civilians who were receiving humanitarian aid in western Gaza at dawn on Thursday, and that the Israeli army is attempting to disassociate itself from the horrific crime by releasing a shattered aerial video clip and arguing that the large number of civilian deaths was caused by a stampede and trampling.
The Euro-Med Monitor stated that its research teams observed the events from the first moments and recorded that Israeli tanks opened heavy fire on groups of Palestinian civilians attempting to receive humanitarian aid west and south of Gaza City. As a result, 112 civilians were killed and 760 were injured, while many victims are thought to remain in the targeted area.
Euro-Med confirmed that the dozens of victims had suffered gunshot wounds rather than being run over or crushed, in contrast to what the Israeli army spokesman claimed, which was supported by video footage showing the shooting operation.
Euro-Med highlighted four pieces of evidence confirming the Israeli army’s involvement in the crime against starving civilians, the first of which is the signs of injuries on the bodies of the dead and injured, something that the Euro-Med Monitor researcher documented as soon as the victims arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital, in addition to their blood on the flour bags and aid boxes.
According to Euro-Med, the second clue is the footage released by the Israeli army, which included audible evidence of gunfire emanating from Israeli tanks positioned near the coast, which the army purposefully covered up in black, but eyewitnesses confirmed that the tanks were present close to the crime scene.
The third clue concerns the bullets’ distinct sound signature, which is audible in the footage released at the time of the shooting and identifies them as coming from an automatic weapon used by the Israeli army with 5.56 bullets.
Finally, Euro-Med indicated that the aerial video published by the Israeli army was fragmented and distorted. At minute 01:06, it does, however, indicate the existence of at least two tanks as well as multiple bodies in the path of the tanks rather than the trucks.
The organization based in Geneva noted that during the minutes 1:06–1:28 in the video, the majority of those in attendance—including those who had initially been far from the aid trucks—were fleeing from them in the opposite direction. This indicates that the danger did not originate from the trucks themselves or from the surrounding crowding, but rather from an outside source that terrified everyone in the area, both close to and far from the trucks. Furthermore, the video clip released by the Israeli army did not depict any ramming operations, which aligns with numerous victims’ accounts indicating they were shot in the back as they attempted to flee the scene.
Euro-Med emphasized that under no circumstances can we accept the veracity and credibility of what the Israeli army releases to absolve itself of the crimes it commits without first allowing an independent external investigative body with full access to the Israeli army’s data to review what it releases. If we do so, we will be left with an absurd scenario in which the Israeli army acts as both the perpetrator and the investigator and judge simultaneously. However, as Euro-Med notes, the video clip that the Israeli army released does, in fact, demonstrate its condemnation because it demonstrates that Israel is initially to blame for this humanitarian disaster and the crime of starvation that caused hordes of civilians to rush towards aid trucks, whose protection and entry are obstructed by army forces, pushing the starved people to risk their lives while trying to reach the aid trucks close to the Israeli concentration points.
According to the Euro-Med Monitor, the Israeli forces targeted starved civilians who did not pose a threat to Israeli forces and whose only request was receiving a small amount of aid, despite the humiliating procedures that accompany the distribution process.
Euro-Med warned that Israeli shooting towards starving people receiving aid has become a regular practice. In recent weeks, Israeli forces have directly attacked and killed dozens of people in the city, including on Salah al-Din Street and in the vicinity of Kuwait Roundabout.
