NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the deadly aid delivery incident in north of Gaza, in which Hamas says over 100 people were killed, said his spokesperson on Thursday.
Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City, desperate for food, flocked to an aid distribution point on Thursday, where they met live fire by Israeli troops.
An Israeli source has confirmed that troops opened fire on the crowd, saying it posed a threat, however, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office also said that many people had been run over by the aid vehicles.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed the need for thorough investigation of the incident.
He said that the US doesn’t know exactly what happened but whether people were shot and died due to Israeli gunfire, or were crushed by a crowd, or whether they were run over by truck.
He said there is no presence of the United Nations in the war-hit Gaza and reiterated the secretary-general’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all captives.
Dujarric went on to say that the civilians are desperate for food in Gaza and need. He called for urgent help, including those in the northern Gaza where the United Nations has not been able to deliver aid for more than a week.
He said that Guterres is disturbed by the tragic human toll of the conflict.
