• Israeli forces fired upon Palestinian civilians who were waiting in line to receive humanitarian food, killing at least 104 and injuring 760.
• The ICJP has described the incident as one of the deadliest of the last few months.
The ICJP is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.
In a statement made on 29th February, they had the following to say about what is now known as ‘The flour bag massacre’:
Earlier today, Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on starving Palestinian people who were queueing to receive humanitarian food aid, massacring at least 104 and injuring more than 760. In one of the deadliest events of the last few months, the massacre is reported to have occurred at Al-Rashid Street to the west of Gaza City. Accounts show that a crowd was awaiting the delivery of food aid in the form of bags of flour, when they were targeted by tank shelling and sniper fire. Footage circulating online evidences a truck that was supposed to be carrying humanitarian aid instead transporting the dead and injured from the massacre. The massacre occurred against a backdrop of purposeful restriction of aid and the decimation of the health infrastructure in Gaza………. …….. The massacre faced international criticism, including the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter, who said: “Murdering people queueing for essential humanitarian aid? This is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Protests have been seen in Tel Aviv in response to the incident.
