Israeli military review of Gaza aid convoy deaths finds most killed in stampede

FILE PHOTO: People rush towards an aid truck carrying bags of flour in Al Zaytun neighbourhood, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, in this still picture taken from a video, March 2, 2024. REUTERS TV via REUTERS/File Photo

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s military has completed a preliminary review of civilian deaths at a Gaza aid convoy last week, which determined that forces did not strike the convoy and that most Palestinians died in a stampede, a military spokesperson said on Sunday.

It has also launched a more thorough examination of the incident to be handled by “an independent, professional and expert body” which will share its findings as early as in the coming days, said spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

Pressure has mounted on Israel over the deaths of dozens of Palestinians during a confused incident in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in which crowds surrounded a convoy of aid trucks and soldiers opened fire, with several countries backing a U.N. call for an inquiry.

Health authorities in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said Israeli forces had killed more than 100 people trying to reach a relief convoy near Gaza City.

“The IDF has concluded an initial review of the unfortunate incident where Gazan civilians were trampled to death and injured as they charged to the aid convoy,” said Hagari.

The review, he said, which gathered information from commanders and troops in the field, determined that no strike was carried out towards the aid convoy.

“The majority of Palestinians were killed or injured as a result of the stampede,” Hagari said.

“Following the warning shots fired to disperse the stampede and after our forces had started retreating, several looters approached our forces and posed an immediate threat to them. According to the initial review, the soldiers responded toward several individuals,” he said.

“We have opened an inquiry to examine the incident further, which will help us reduce the risk of such a tragic incident from occurring again during one of our humanitarian operations,” he said.

“The incident will be examined in the fact finding and assessment mechanism, an independent, professional and expert body. For the sake of transparency we will share updates as our examination develops hopefully in the coming days.”

Hagari did not give details on who specifically would be handling the inquiry.

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by James Mackenzie and Elaine Hardcastle)