Turkey on Thursday accused Israel of “another crime against humanity” after the killing of dozens of Palestinians when Israeli troops opened fire on them as they gathered around aid trucks for food in war-torn Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.
“Israel has added another crime to its crimes against humanity,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.
“The fact that Israel, which has condemned Gazans to famine, this time targets innocent civilians in a queue for humanitarian aid, is evidence that (Israel) aims consciously and collectively to destroy the Palestinian people,” it added.
The health ministry in Gaza said the incident killed 104 people and wounded more than 750 others in a pre-dawn “massacre” in Gaza City.
The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 30 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some who were run over by the lorries.
An Israeli source acknowledged troops had opened fire on the crowd, believing it “posed a threat.”
The looting of aid trucks had previously occurred in northern Gaza, where residents have taken to eating animal fodder and even leaves to try to stave off starvation.
Aid groups are warning of looming famine after nearly five months of war.
The war began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.
Militants also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 Israel says are presumed dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed 30,035 people, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza’s health ministry.