The terrorist organization Hamas claimed on Sunday that 72 Palestinians were killed while waiting for humanitarian aid. The Israel Defense Forces said that earlier in the day, large crowds of Palestinians had gathered in northern Gaza, where IDF troops conducted warning fire to disperse what they identified as an immediate threat to their forces in the area.
The IDF acknowledged that reports of casualties in the area were known and said the incident was still under review. According to a preliminary investigation, the number of casualties cited by Hamas does not align with the information currently available to the military.
"The IDF places high importance on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and works to facilitate and ease the transfer of assistance in coordination with the international community," the military said in a statement. "The IDF does not intentionally target humanitarian aid convoys. It is operating in a complex environment against the terrorist organization Hamas, which seeks to create friction on the ground that endangers both Gaza's civilians and IDF troops, and hampers the entry of aid."
Meanwhile, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson issued an evacuation message for residents of Beit Lahia, Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, Shujaiyya, Daraj, the Old City, Tuffah, Zeitoun, and their surrounding neighborhoods, warning that these areas are "dangerous combat zones" where the IDF is operating "with great force." Residents were urged to avoid entering these areas for their own safety.
The US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) responded to the reports by saying, "We are saddened by the reports of casualties among those trying to obtain food from a UN aid convoy at the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza, even as aid efforts continue under the growing threat of violence. As in many previous cases, this incident is not connected to GHF, despite the false insinuations published by Al Jazeera."
