The Israeli army announced today, Friday, that a review of a stampede that occurred during the distribution of humanitarian aid in northern Gaza last month, which Hamas claims resulted in the deaths of 118 Palestinians, concluded that its forces "fired accurately" at suspects who approached soldiers nearby.
The army stated, "A review by the command concluded that the Israel Defense Forces did not fire at the humanitarian aid convoy, but fired at a number of suspects who approached nearby forces and posed a threat to them."
The Israeli army emphasized that its forces did not fire during the distribution of aid in northern Gaza on the night of February 29 at the aid convoy or at those waiting to receive it, but rather at suspects who approached it and posed a danger.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli army mentioned that it fired warning shots to deter the suspects, but they continued to advance, forcing the soldiers to fire "to avert the danger."
The statement also noted that this incident will undergo examination by a fact-finding and evaluation mechanism, which is an independent review body that will provide its findings separately, according to the statement.
The spokesman for the Gaza health ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, announced that the death toll from what has been referred to as the "Nablusi Roundabout Massacre" reached 118, in addition to hundreds of injuries, indicating that the Israeli army targeted Palestinians who were waiting for aid trucks in western Gaza City. However, the Israeli army had issued a statement at that time confirming that what occurred was a result of "crowding and pushing" at the trucks.
