The News
World leaders condemned the deaths of dozens of Palestinians during an aid delivery in Gaza City, calling for an independent probe into the incident.
Questions remained as Israel and Gaza offered vastly different accounts of how the distribution of food turned deadly on Thursday. Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry said Israel Defense Forces opened fire on the aid convoy, killing 112 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more. Israel denies shooting into the crowd, saying most people were killed in a crush or run over by trucks, and that troops only fired at a group several hundred yards away that threatened a checkpoint.
The United Nations has warned for weeks that public order is breaking down in the enclave, where food is scarce and children are emaciated and starving. On Thursday the U.S. blocked a motion at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council that would have held Israel responsible for the deadly aid distribution.
The View From the EU
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply disturbed by images from Gaza,” urging a transparent investigation into the deaths. “Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be ensured. We stand by civilians, urging their protection in line with international law,” she wrote on X. Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs representative, said he was “horrified by news of yet another carnage among civilians in Gaza desperate for humanitarian aid,” and called the deaths “totally unacceptable,” adding that “depriving people of food aid constitutes a serious violation” of international law.
The View From China
“China urges the relevant parties, especially Israel, to cease fire and end the fighting immediately, earnestly protect civilians’ safety, ensure that humanitarian aid can enter, and avoid an even more serious humanitarian disaster,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
The View From the US
U.S. President Joe Biden said he believed that the incident would complicate ongoing ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.
The incident proves how desperate the situation in Gaza has become, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “Far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed over the course of this conflict, not just today, but over the past nearly five months,” he said, adding that Washington has been in touch with Israel’s government and understands “that an investigation is underway.” Gaza’s health ministry said that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7.
The View From Colombia
The president of Colombia said that his nation would suspend the purchase of weapons from Israel following the incident. “More than 100 Palestinians were killed by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” Gustavo Petro wrote on X. “This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust even if the world powers do not like to recognize it.” Israel and Colombia signed a free trade agreement in 2020, and Colombia uses Israeli-built weapons to fight drug cartels.