The Gaza Ministry of Health announced on February 29, 2024, that at least 112 people were killed and more than 750 were injured by the Israeli army. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incident as a cold-blooded “massacre,” characterizing the attack as part of Israel’s ongoing “genocidal war.” The ministry urged the international community to “urgently intervene” to establish a ceasefire as “the only way to protect civilians.”
Crowds had gathered on al-Rashid Street, anticipating aid trucks carrying flour. Al Jazeera verified footage that showed dozens of deceased and injured Palestinians being loaded onto trucks, as ambulances were unable to access the area.
“We went to get flour. The Israeli army shot at us. There are many martyrs on the ground, and we are still retrieving them. There is no first aid,” a witness recounted.
From the scene, Al Jazeera’s Ismail al-Ghoul reported that after the shooting began, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the deceased and injured. “It is a massacre, on top of the starvation threatening citizens in Gaza,” he stated. Al-Ghoul noted that ambulances could not reach the area due to “totally destroyed” roads.
“The numbers will rise. Hospitals are no longer able to accommodate the vast influx of patients because they lack fuel, not to mention medicine. Hospitals have also run out of blood,” he added.
The Israeli military initially attempted to shift blame onto the crowd, claiming that many were injured from being crushed and trampled as aid trucks arrived. “Then, after some pressure, the Israelis stated that their troops felt threatened, claiming hundreds of people approached their forces in a way that posed a threat, leading them to respond with gunfire,” Al-Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said.