At least 112 Palestinians waiting for food aid were killed and 750 wounded after being shot at by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Following this, the US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin told Congress that the United States government placed the death toll of women and children in the ongoing Israeli attack at more than 25,000.
In total, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in bombardment by Israel since October 7 when Hamas forces retaliated to decades-long occupational crimes committed by Israel.
The office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said an “ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army” had taken place, following reports on Thursday that Israeli forces opened fire on people receiving aid southwest of Gaza City.
The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 112 people were killed and more than 750 wounded, and called on the international community to “urgently intervene” to forge a ceasefire as “the only way to protect civilians”.
“The killing of this large number of innocent civilian victims who risked their livelihood is an integral part of the genocidal war committed by the occupation government against our people,” Abbas’s office was quoted by the Wafa news agency as saying.
“Israeli occupation authorities bear full responsibility and will be held accountable before international courts.”
As per Palestinian group Hamas called the attack “a heinous massacre added to the long series of massacres committed by the criminal Zionist entity against our Palestinian people”.
In a statement, the group, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, said the deadly attack on aid seekers was “unprecedented in the history of war crimes” and was part of Israel’s “war of starvation” against Palestinians in the enclave.
