IDF Spokesman: ‘IDF Did Not Fire on Gaza Aid Convoy’
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari delivered a statement on Thursday, February 29, regarding that morning’s incident involving a humanitarian aid convoy in northern Gaza and the IDF’s ongoing humanitarian aid efforts.
“This morning, the IDF coordinated a convoy of 38 trucks to provide additional humanitarian assistance to the residents of northern Gaza. This humanitarian aid came from Egypt, went through a security screening at the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing in Israel, and then entered Gaza for distribution by private contractors.”
“As these vital humanitarian supplies were making their way towards Gazans in need, thousands of Gazans dispensed upon the trucks. Some began violently pushing and even trampling other Gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies,” he explained.
According to Hagari, “The unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans killed and injured. Here are the facts,” he said: “At 4:40 a.m., the first aid truck in the humanitarian convoy started making its way through the humanitarian corridor that we were securing.”
“At 4:45 a.m., a mob ambushed the aid trucks, bringing the convoy to a halt,” he said as he presented a new video of the incident. “As you can see, in this video, the tanks that were there to secure the convoy saw the Gazans being trampled and cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots,” he added.
He continued, “When the hundreds became thousands and things got out of hand, the tank commander decided to retreat to avoid harm to the thousands of Gazans that were there. Here you can see how cautious they were when they were backing up. I think, as a military man, they were backing up securely, risking their own lives, not shooting at the mob.” (INN / VFI News)
“God, we are extremely saddened by the deaths and injuries of the Gazan civilians that occurred yesterday. We extend our sincerest condolences to their families and we pray that You console them and offer them Your peace. We pray that You end the war so that all citizens of Israel can live safely and with dignity on the land. May You heal the wounded and also assist those suffering from mental health trauma since the event. We also pray against any criticism and accusations against Israel in this situation that would try to portray Israel as being offensive.”
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