Saudi Arabia announces Sunday as first day of Eid Al Fitr    Crown Prince orders key real estate reforms in Riyadh to stabilize land and rental prices    King Salman, Crown Prince extend condolences to Thailand's king over earthquake victims    Tourism Ministry enforces closure orders, warns violators of penalties    Elon Musk's xAI acquires X in all-stock deal    Makkah and Madinah mobile data usage exceeds global average during Ramadan: CST    US, Japan mark 80th anniversary of Iwo Jima battle with memorial service    Trump signals openness to auto tariff deal    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Trump renews push to acquire Greenland    Myanmar earthquake death toll climbs to 144    Over 2.5 million attend Khatm Al-Qur'an prayers in Makkah    Saudi non-oil exports jump 10.7% in January    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Disney's Snow White film tops box office despite bad reviews    NewJeans announces hiatus after setback in court battle    George Foreman, heavyweight champion and cultural icon, dies at 76    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    









UN chief urges probe into deadly Gaza aid convoy incident
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 03 - 2024

The head of the UN has called for an independent investigation into the deaths of more than 100 Palestinians during an aid delivery in Gaza.
At least 117 people were killed and more than 760 injured on Thursday as they crowded around aid lorries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the incident and said "desperate civilians" need urgent help.
Hamas accused Israel of firing at civilians, but Israel said most died in a crush after it fired warning shots.
On Thursday international criticism of Israel mounted with French President Emmanuel Macron saying civilians had been "targeted by Israeli soldiers".
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, described the incident as "totally unacceptable carnage".
Reacting to the incident, Guterres wrote on social media: "I condemn Thursday's incident in Gaza in which more than 100 people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid."
"The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the UN has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week."
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry called the incident a "massacre".
The UN Security Council scheduled a closed-door emergency meeting to discuss the incident, during which Algeria - the Arab representative of the body - put forward a draft statement blaming Israeli forces for "opening fire".
While 14 of the Council's 15 members supported the motion, the US blocked it, according to AP news agency, citing the Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour who spoke to reporters afterward. US envoy Robert Wood said the facts of the incident remained unclear.
Thursday's incident took place shortly after 04:45 (02:45 GMT) at the Nabulsi roundabout, on the south-western edge of Gaza City.
A convoy of 30 lorries carrying Egyptian aid was making its way north along what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as a "humanitarian corridor" which it said its forces were securing.
IDF's chief spokesman, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said civilians surrounded the convoy and people began climbing on the lorries.
"Some began violently pushing and even trampling other Gazans to death, looting the humanitarian supplies," he said. "The unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans killed and injured."
Israeli tanks, he said, "cautiously tried to disperse the mob with a few warning shots" but pulled back "when the hundreds became thousands and things got out of hand".
Hamas rejected the IDF's account, citing "undeniable" evidence of "direct firing at citizens, including headshots aimed at immediate killing".
The incident came hours before Gaza's health ministry announced that more than 30,000 people, including 21,000 children and women, had been killed in Gaza since the start of the current conflict on 7 October. Some 7,000 were missing and 70,450 were injured, it said.
Gutteres added: "I am appalled by the tragic human toll of the conflict in Gaza - more than 30,000 people reportedly killed and over 70,000 injured.
"I reiterate my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages."
The executive director of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in the UK, Natalie Roberts, said delivering aid to a starving population without adequate security was risking disaster. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today program she said: "We know that there have been very few aid convoys in the last weeks in the north, people have been unable to get anything to eat.
"We know from our own colleagues that they're having to eat animal food, that they go without food for days on end sometimes. And so people are just completely desperate, and the minute you start trying to deliver food to the region without any sort of security for the convoy, then this was always going to happen."
The UN is warning of a looming famine in the north of the territory, where an estimated 300,000 people are living with little food or clean water. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.