Israeli soldiers are reportedly targeting Palestinian civilians and police who are trying to distribute food to the population of Gaza as they deal with widespread famine.

On Tuesday, an Israeli air strike killed 23 people who were waiting at a Gaza City roundabout to receive an aid convoy. The area is known as a place where aid trucks distribute food and crowds gather to receive aid.

Some of the casualties were people who were part of committees of locals tasked with distributing the aid. In addition, the Middle East Eye reports that Israeli forces killed two police officers who were securing aid trucks and centers.

In another incident at the same site last week, more than 20 people were killed and 155 people were wounded. Graphic video footage of the incident showed numerous bodies with serious injuries and bloodied streets.

One man who was present said: “We were sitting there, and there was nothing. Suddenly, they bombarded us with shells. There are a lot of martyrs and injuries. We were there to bring food for our children.”

A doctor working in the emergency room at Al Shifa Hospital, Mohammad Ghrab, said that dozens of people sought treatment in the immediate aftermath.

“Most of them are critical injuries, in the abdomen and the upper body. Until now, more than 15 injuries require urgent surgeries,” he reported.

The IDF denied responsibility, saying in a statement: “A review of our operational systems and IDF forces on the ground found that no tank fire, air-strike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy.”

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They maintain that Hamas terrorists are hurting Gazan civilians seeking aid and then blaming their attacks on Israel.

In another incident that locals now refer to as “the Flour Massacre,” more than 112 people were killed and 760 were injured when IDF troops opened fire while Palestinian civilians were lining up near a convoy of 18 food aid trucks in western Gaza City. Civilians swarmed the convoy, which was sent by countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, when witnesses say IDF forces started shooting. As the aid trucks attempted to escape the chaos, they accidentally caused additional injuries and deaths.

Hundreds have died in targeted killings related to aid distribution

Statistics from the Gaza-based government media office indicate that more than 100 people either seeking or offering aid have been killed in Israeli attacks during the last week, prompting accusations that the Jewish state was seeking to “perpetuate the policy of starvation and deepen the famine” in the Gaza Strip. They claim that more than 400 people have been killed since the war started in similar incidents; these statistics have not been independently confirmed.

The head of the Gaza-based Government Media Office, Salameh Maarouf, said: “The targeting of those who are searching for aid to help satisfy their children’s hunger has intensified, especially in northern Gaza.”

Israel has been taking steps to prevent aid from flowing into Gaza for months, with only very limited numbers of trucks being let into northern Gaza. When aid trucks arrive, there is often chaos and disorder that leads to injury as desperate people clamor for food.

The latest attacks took place as the Gaza Strip continues to suffer from widespread hunger and poverty. UN agencies report that more than half a million people there are currently on the brink of famine.

This week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell accused Israel of “provoking famine” in the strip, while a UN-backed initiative determined that all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people were dealing with “acute” food insecurity, with the situation for half of them described as “catastrophic”.

Sources for this article include:

MiddleEastEye.net

CNN.com