Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a chaotic stampede for the food aid and that its troops only fired when they felt endangered by the crowd.
The violence was quickly condemned by Arab countries, and US President Joe Biden expressed concern it would add to the difficulty of negotiating a ceasefire in the nearly five-month conflict.
The Gaza City area was among the first targets of Israel’s air, sea and ground offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into Israel.Saudi Arabia strongly condemned and denounced the targeting of defenseless civilians in the northern Gaza Strip, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Israeli troops fired on a large crowd of Palestinians racing to pull food off an aid convoy in Gaza City on Thursday, witnesses said.
More than 100 people were killed in the chaos, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials.
The ministry affirmed the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of international humanitarian law violations by any party and under any pretext.
The Kingdom renewed its call on the international community to take a firm stance by making Israel respect international humanitarian law, immediately open safe humanitarian corridors, allow the evacuation of the injured, and enable the delivery of relief aid and medical equipment without restrictions to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe and prevent an escalation of it.
The Kingdom also repeated its call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further innocent civilian casualties.
The UAE on Thursday also strongly condemned the military targeting thousands of Palestinians in Gaza Strip who were awaiting the arrival of humanitarian aid and called for an independent and transparent investigation into the incident, while demanding accountability for those responsible, Emirates News Agency reported.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “deep concern about the escalating humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip, which threatened to claim more innocent civilian lives.
It also emphasized that the immediate priority was to halt the escalation of military operations and establish an immediate ceasefire.
The ministry reiterated the UAE's position, which calls for the protection of innocent civilians and the facilitation of immediate, safe, long-term, and unhindered delivery of relief and humanitarian aid.
It also emphasized the importance of preventing a regional spillover, which could lead to further violence, tension, and instability.
The ministry urged the international community to support all efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace based on a two-state solution that included an independent Palestinian state.
Kuwait also denounced Israel’s actions, labeling them a “war crime”, Kuwait News Agency reported.
The country’s foreign ministry reiterated Kuwait's call for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded access to humanitarian aid in the Strip as well as its unequivocal rejection of Israel's systematic targeting of innocent civilians.
The ministry also urged the international community, and the UN Security Council, to provide protection to the Palestinian people as well as humanitarian workers operating in the Palestinian territories.Yemen has condemned Israel’s killing of more than 100 Palestinian civilians waiting for food aid near Gaza City, saying the ongoing “massacres”, including the bombing of shelters and of places where aid is distributed, amount to “war crimes and the collective punishment of innocent people”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the “crimes and massacres against defenceless Palestinian people kill peace every day and foster terrorism and extremism in the region”.
It called on the international community and the UN Security Council to take immediate measures to halt the war and deliver urgent humanitarian aid.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident and said he was “appalled by the tragic human toll of the conflict”.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the deadly incident, and United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the events “need to be investigated.”
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell denounced the deaths as “totally unacceptable”.
France said “the fire by Israeli soldiers against civilians trying to access food is unjustifiable”.
Turkey accused Israel of committing “another crime against humanity” and condemning Palestinians in Gaza to “famine”.
Colombia denounced the “genocide” of the Palestinian people and suspended purchases of weapons from Israel.
Italy called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and urged Israel to protect the Palestinian population after the “tragic deaths”.
Qatar condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous massacre committed by the Israeli occupation”.
China said it was “shocked” by the incident and strongly condemned the killings.China “strongly condemns” the killing of more than 100 Palestinians during an aid delivery in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday.
“China is shocked by this incident and strongly condemns it,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. “We express our grief for the victims and our sympathies for the injured.”
Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire on Palestinians scrambling for food aid on Thursday.
While the Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Palestinians surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, a military official said the Israeli forces opened fire at people.
“China urges the relevant parties, especially Israel, to cease fire and end the fighting immediately, earnestly protect civilians’ safety, ensure that humanitarian aid can enter, and avoid an even more serious humanitarian disaster,” Mao said.
Australia said it was “horrified” and would express this view directly to the Israeli ambassador.
