Antonio Guterres condemns killing of over 100 around food convoy in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, 29 February condemned the killing of more than 100 people in incidents in northern Gaza and repeated his demands for a ceasefire, his Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

On the day Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that the death toll crossed the 30,000 mark since Israel’s attacks began on October 8, 104 people were killed and more than 700 injured in the incidents around a food convoy in the Gaza City area, according to the Palestine news agency, Wafa.

The agency said that according to medical sources, Israeli troops had opened fire with heavy machine guns at people waiting for trucks laden with humanitarian assistance for distribution.

“The Secretary-General condemns the incident today in northern Gaza in which more than a hundred people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid,” Dujarric said.

He added that Guterres “is appalled by the tragic human toll of the conflict in Gaza, in which more than 30,000 people have now reportedly been killed and more than 70,000 injured. Tragically, an unknown number of people lie under rubble”.

His statement did not name Israel in the attack, and Dujarric explained to reporters that the UN did not as yet have direct knowledge of what happened, but he said that acts of violence caused the incident.

UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk called the killings in Gaza, “carnage”.