Israel conducts probe, claims Palestinians gunmen fired on Gaza crowd awaiting aid

The Israeli army denied accusations by the health ministry of the Hamas-ruled enclave that Israeli soldiers were to blame, saying on Friday that “armed Palestinians” opened fire on people in northern Gaza who were waiting for humanitarian relief.

“Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy” in Gaza City on Thursday and then “continued to shoot as the crowd of Gazans began looting the trucks”, the army said in a statement.

Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on the citizens gathered at Kuwait Square late on Thursday, killing 21 and injuring over 150, according to the Gaza Strip’s health ministry, which is managed by Hamas.

The Israeli military declared that it had concluded that “the IDF did not open fire at the aid convoy at Kuwait Square” following a “intensive preliminary review.”

A convoy of 31 trucks carrying food and other humanitarian supplies for residents arrived in northern Gaza on Thursday night, according to the IDF’s investigation.

The investigation discovered that while civilians were waiting for the relief vehicles, armed Palestinians opened fire one hour before the convoy reached an IDF-established corridor.

While the IDF “continues its humanitarian effort to supply food and humanitarian aid to the civilians of the Gaza Strip,” according to a statement released by the military, “Hamas terrorists continue to harm Gazan civilians who are seeking food, and Hamas is blaming Israel for it.”