'Cause For Extreme Concern': India Expresses Shock at Loss of Lives in Gaza Firing by Israeli Troops

India on Friday expressed ‘deep shock’ at the loss of lives in northern Gaza during the delivery of humanitarian assistance, adding that such loss of civilian lives and the larger humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be a ’cause for extreme concern’.

India reiterated its stand for a safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance in Gaza.

India’s concern came a day after Israeli troops allegedly opened fire on Palestinians, who were waiting for aid near Gaza City. The incident killed at least 112 people and injured over 700 others, said the Gaza health ministry.

While, the Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, including some people being run over.

WHAT HAMAS AND ISRAEL SAID

Hamas said the incident could endanger talks in Qatar aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages it is holding. When asked if he thought it would complicate the talks, US President Joe Biden said: “I know it will.” Medics in Gaza said they could not cope with the flood of serious injuries, which came as the death toll in nearly five months of war passed 30,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel disputed the account provided by officials in Hamas-run Gaza, which has been bombarded by Israeli forces for months since the Palestinian militant group’s deadly rampage in southern Israel on October 7.

The Israeli military said the trucks were operated by private contractors as part of an aid operation that it had been overseeing for the past four nights.

One Israeli official said there had been two incidents, hundreds of meters apart. In the first, dozens were killed or injured as they tried to take aid from the trucks and were trampled or run over. He said there was a second, subsequent incident as the trucks moved off.

Some people in the crowd approached troops who felt under threat and opened fire, killing an unknown number in a “limited response”, he said. He dismissed the casualty toll given by Gaza authorities but gave no figure himself.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari also said dozens had been trampled to death or injured in a fight to take supplies off the trucks. He said tanks escorting the trucks had subsequently fired warning shots to disperse the crowd and backed away when events began to get out of hand.

“No IDF strike was conducted towards the aid convoy,” he said at the briefing. “The IDF was there conducting a humanitarian operation to secure the humanitarian corridor and allow the aid convoy to reach its designated distribution point.”