MEZIESBLOG

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned what he called “the ugly massacre” against a crowd waiting for aid near Gaza City.

Moments ago, we reported conflicting accounts of an incident at aid trucks near the city.

An Israeli source told Reuters that Israeli troops opened fire on several people posing a threat, while an IDF spokesperson said people were trampled in a rush for aid, adding there was no shelling in the area.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said 104 people were killed, while Hamas released a statement calling it a targeted “hideous massacre”.

Now, Mr Abbas’ office said the president “condemned the ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army this morning against the people who waited for the aid trucks at the Nabulsi roundabout”. 

MEZIESBLOG cannot independently verify these reports.

Analysis: Details aren’t clear – but a severe incident has taken place

A severe incident has taken place in northern Gaza involving the deaths of many people, but what exactly happened remains a murky picture, says Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall.

Civilians were trying to get food and medicine from aid trucks to the West of Gaza City, when Palestinian sources claim they were fired upon by Israeli forces, said Bunkall.

Medical facilities in the area reported receiving bodies and severely wounded people with “gunshots in the upper part of their bodies”.

Israel, on the other hand, said there was a stampede where people were trampled and there was no shelling in the area, Bunkall said.

“What I would say about that statement is firstly, yes, there is real desperation for food and basic necessities in Gaza at the moment, so it is not inconceivable that there could have been a stampede.”

But the Israeli statement “makes no mention of the possibility that Israeli forces might have fired using guns on these Palestinians”, Bunkall said.