What we know about the attack that killed more than 100 Palestinians waiting for food in Gaza

One of the worst tragedies to occur during Israel's war with Hamas occurred on Thursday (29), when dozens of Palestinians were killed trying to obtain food aid in Gaza City.

More than 100 people were killed and more than 700 were injured in a case in which Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops used live fire while hungry and desperate Palestinian civilians gathered around food aid trucks, according to the Ministry of Palestinian Health in Gaza.

A CNN cannot independently confirm these numbers.

The case occurred in a context of great hunger and extreme poverty in the Palestinian territory, where food aid has been so rare that it often provokes panic when it arrives.

But there are discordant narratives surrounding the devastation that have been presented by Israel and eyewitnesses on the ground.

Here's what we know.

What happened?

The deaths occurred amid scenes of chaos on Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, where crowds of hungry Palestinians had gathered to receive food aid.

A convoy of at least 18 trucks arrived at around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, sent from countries in the region including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to eyewitnesses.

Civilians surrounded the newly arrived aid trucks in hopes of getting food, and Israeli forces soon began shooting, witnesses said.

Aid trucks attempted to escape the area, accidentally running over others and causing more deaths and injuries, witnesses added to the news release. CNN .

Ambulances struggled to reach those in need because rubble blocked the way, one such witness, Ahmad Abu Al Foul, told CNN .

Most of the victims died after being run over by aid trucks trying to escape Israeli fire, according to a local journalist in Gaza, Khader Al Za'anoun.

Al Za'anoun, who was at the scene and witnessed what happened, said that although there were large crowds waiting for food to be distributed by aid trucks, the chaos and confusion that led to people being run over by the vehicles only began when Israeli soldiers opened fire.

“Most of the people killed were run over by aid trucks during the chaos and while trying to escape Israeli gunfire,” Al Za'anoun said.

What does Israel claim?

Israel offered accounts of the case as the day progressed.

In its first comments, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the incident began when Palestinians tried to loot the trucks.

“This morning, during the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the north of the Gaza Strip, Gazans surrounded the vehicles and looted the delivered supplies. During the incident, dozens of Gaza residents were injured as a result of pushing and being run over,” the IDF told CNN .

Later on Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman stated in a briefing that there were two separate cases involving humanitarian aid trucks in Gaza on Thursday.

First, he said that trucks entered northern Gaza and were attacked by crowds, and the vehicles ran over people. Later, he said, a group of Palestinians approached Israeli forces, who in turn opened fire on them.

“The trucks went north, then there was the stampede and then there was the event against our forces. That’s how things went this morning,” the spokesperson said.

This chronology directly contradicts eyewitness accounts, which suggested that the Israeli military opened fire on people near the trucks, causing the drivers to turn away in panic.

At a press conference on Thursday, IDF spokesman Daniel Hargari denied that there had been an attack on the convoy. He said Israeli tanks fired warning shots to disperse a crowd around an aid convoy in Gaza after seeing that people were being trampled.

He insisted that the tanks were there “to protect the humanitarian corridor” so that the aid convoy could reach its destination.

The IDF released a short video that appears to show a tank driving parallel to the crowd, several meters away.

“As you can see in this video, the tanks that were there to protect the convoy see Gazans being trampled and cautiously try to disperse the crowd with some warning shots,” Hagari said.

When the crowd began to grow and “things got out of control,” the tank retreated to avoid harming Gazans, he added.

“I think as military personnel they were retreating safely, risking their own lives, and not shooting into the crowd,” he said.

What is the humanitarian situation in Gaza?

More than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, United Nations agencies warned on Tuesday, as the war in the territory approaches the five-month mark.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that at least 576,000 people in Gaza “face catastrophic levels of deprivation and hunger.” Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program (WFP) warned “of a real prospect of famine by May, with 500,000 people at risk if the threat materializes”.

“Today, food aid is needed for almost the entire population of 2.2 million people. Gaza sees the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world,” Carl Skau, WFP deputy executive director, told the Security Council during its Tuesday session. “One in six children under the age of 2 is severely malnourished.”

Aid has been so scarce that, when available, it often provokes panic. Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned of chaotic scenes around aid trucks in Gaza during an interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN earlier this week.

“The chaos, yes, around the helpline is becoming worse and worse because there is little help coming,” he said.

“Today I am quite shaken by what I saw,” he continued. “The minute we cross the border… you see the aid trucks speeding down the road, being chased by gangs of young people who jumped on the trucks and, before our eyes, looted mattresses, blankets, food, etc., for the desperate people outside who want to get some help.”

What does the international community say?

The US State Department expressed condolences for the dead and injured and said the US was pressing Israel for answers.

“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed during this conflict, not just today, but over the past nearly five months,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference.

“We have been in contact with the Israeli government since this morning and understand that an investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Miller said the U.S. is aware of “contradictory reports” about what happened and would only say the U.S. knows a commercial convoy not associated with the U.N. was delivering the aid.

“If there is one thing that the aerial footage of today’s incident makes clear, it is how desperate the situation in the territory is,” Miller said, calling on Israel to “allow more assistance into Gaza, through as many access points as possible.” ,” and to enable the safe distribution of this aid throughout Gaza.”

The UN condemned the case and said it must be investigated. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by the rising death toll in Gaza and reiterated calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza.

His spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement: “Desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north, where the United Nations has been unable to deliver aid for more than a week.”

Saudi Arabia also condemned what happened, calling on the international community “to take a firm position, obliging Israel to respect international humanitarian law”, while the United Arab Emirates called for an “independent and transparent investigation”.

Colombia announced it would suspend arms purchases from Israel following the deaths. “This is called genocide and it resembles the Holocaust, even if world powers do not like to recognize it,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro in a post.

French Ambassador to the UN Nicolas de Riviere described the incident as “an unprecedented disaster” and said France would continue to work towards an immediate ceasefire.

What does the case mean for the war?

Thursday's tragedy represented one of the deadliest incidents in Gaza since the start of Israel's war against Hamas.

And it came at a critical time for the conflict, with negotiations between Israel and Hamas over a deal to stop the fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza reaching a potentially crucial moment.

Senior Hamas member Izzat Al-Risheq warned that the deaths of people collecting aid in trucks in Gaza could lead to the failure of ongoing negotiations.

“The negotiations are not an open process,” he said in a statement published by Hamas on Telegram.

“We will not allow the path of negotiations… [se torne] a cover for the enemy’s continued crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip,” said Al-Risheq.

At the State Department briefing, Miller also said the incident indicated how necessary it was to reach “a potential temporary ceasefire as part of a hostage agreement” to allow more aid to come in.

“We continue to work day and night to achieve this result, including through calls (President Joe Biden) held this morning with President Al Sisi of Egypt and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim, as well as with a secretary that Blinken has retained earlier today with the Prime Minister of Qatar. Minister Al Thani,” Miller said.

“All leaders on these calls agreed that this terrible event highlights the urgency of ending hostage negotiations.”

President Biden said Monday during an appearance at an ice cream parlor in New York City that he hoped there would be a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by “next Monday,” although Israeli officials , Hamas and Qatar – which is helping to mediate the negotiations – have distanced themselves from that timeline.

Biden said Thursday that “there are two competing versions of what happened” that his administration is investigating. When asked by Arlette Saenz, from CNN , at the White House, on Thursday, if it was feared that the deaths would complicate negotiations, Biden responded: “Ah, I know so.” But he still expressed optimism that a hostage agreement and a potential ceasefire could be reached soon.