Gaza: Israeli troops accused of deadly shootings on crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid

Bodies and the injured were brought to a hospital in Gaza City on Thursday after Israeli troops fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid, witnesses said.

More than 100 people were killed, bringing the death toll since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to more than 30,000, according to health officials.

Footage from Shifa Hospital showed men being treated on the facility's floor.

Among them was Kamel Abu Nahel, who described being shot at as he went to collect some of the aid shipment. "After they (Israeli military) stopped shooting, we went back to get our aid. By the time I got flour and some canned goods and took it down from the truck, they shot at us. They shot me and the truck driver left and ran over my leg. I lost my nerves. If you want to get us aid this way, then you might as well not bring anything."

Mourners also prayed over the wrapped bodies of the victims on the floor outside the hospital.

Hospital officials initially reported an Israeli strike on the crowd, but witnesses later said Israeli troops opened fire as people pulled flour and canned goods off of trucks.

The Israeli military declined to provide an on-the-record statement about the role of troops in the incident.

Gaza City and the surrounding areas in the enclave's north were the first targets of Israel’s air, sea and ground offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

The area has suffered widespread devastation and has been largely isolated during the conflict.

Trucks carrying food reached northern Gaza this week, the first major aid delivery to the area in a month, officials said Wednesday.

Aid groups say it has become nearly impossible to deliver humanitarian assistance in most of Gaza because of the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order, with crowds of desperate people overwhelming aid convoys.

The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians face starvation; around 80% have fled their homes.

In addition to the dozens killed, another 280 people were wounded in Thursday’s strike, a Gaza Health Ministry spokesman said.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports about the strike.