Gaza War, Day 148… The Ruins of the ‘Flour Massacre’ and a Ray of Truce for Ramadan
Israel is caught in a wide net of international condemnation for targeting the ‘hungry of Gaza’, amidst fears that the ruins of this tragedy may impede efforts to reach a truce before the month of Ramadan.
The United Nations and several countries have called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons, calling for an investigation after the Israeli army opened fire on Palestinian civilians and caused a stampede during aid distribution on Thursday, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Washington would participate “in the coming days” in airlifting humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been under siege by Israel since the start of the war nearly five months ago.
Biden said he “hoped to reach a ceasefire in Gaza by Ramadan” and added, in response to a question about the possibility of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages by that date: “I hope so, we are still working hard on the issue. We have not achieved that yet.”
In Gaza, the human toll has reached over 30,200 deaths according to the Hamas Health Ministry, while 2.2 million out of 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened by famine, according to the United Nations, which warned Friday that famine in the Strip “has become almost inevitable unless something changes”.
The entry of aid is subject to Israel’s approval, which tightened the blockade on Gaza shortly after the start of the war, and aid only reaches in very limited quantities, most of which comes through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Biden said: “We will insist that Israel facilitate the entry of more trucks and increase access routes to Gaza… Not enough aid is reaching Gaza”.
Effective investigation
Eyewitnesses said Thursday that Israeli soldiers opened fire on a crowd gathered near humanitarian aid trucks in Gaza City. The death toll reached 115 and nearly 760 injured, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.
An official in the Israeli army confirmed that there was “limited shooting” by soldiers who felt “threatened,” speaking of “a stampede that resulted in the death and injury of dozens of civilians, and aid trucks were overturned”.
Washington called on its ally Israel to provide “answers” after the tragedy and to “reach an agreement on a temporary ceasefire”.
The European Union called for an investigation and a humanitarian ceasefire, while United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an “independent and effective” investigation.
The Secretary-General’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Friday that a UN team visited wounded people at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and saw “a large number of gunshot wounds”. He added that 200 injured were in this hospital out of more than 700 who were transported there.
New airstrikes
On the ground, witnesses said that fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas continued in Gaza City (north) as well as in Khan Yunis.
Thursday’s tragedy dealt a blow to the mediation efforts of third countries that were hoping to achieve a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10 or 11.
Qatar, the United States, and Egypt have been trying for weeks to reach a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of new hostages, but no tangible progress has been announced so far.
Hamas is particularly demanding a complete cessation of hostilities before reaching any agreement on the release of hostages, as well as the lifting of the Israeli blockade and increased entry of humanitarian aid.
Israel, for its part, insists that the ceasefire must be accompanied by the release of all hostages and that it does not mean the end of the war, promising to continue its military operations until the complete elimination of Hamas.
In order to defeat the movement in its “last stronghold,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a forthcoming ground attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where nearly one and a half million Palestinians gather near the closed border with Egypt, according to UN figures.
Netanyahu emphasized that the possible ceasefire would only delay this attack on the city bombed daily by Israel.
