Gaza tragedy

THE death of over 100 Palestinian civilians, including children, who were allegedly shot by Israeli defence forces when they swarmed a food convoy in Gaza on Thursday, has caused an international uproar. The United Nations Security Council has urged all stakeholders to comply with their obligations under international law. Israel has claimed that most of the victims were trampled upon or run over as they scrambled to get aid, with an official saying that troops fired ‘in a limited response’ to the threat posed by the unruly crowd. The Israeli military has promised an ‘exhaustive and truthful’ investigation into the deaths, but nothing less than an international inquiry is required to get to the bottom of the matter. South Africa, which has filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, has condemned the incident. India, Brazil, France and Germany are among the other nations which have expressed outrage. Even US President Joe Biden has admitted that this tragedy would create complications for a proposed deal to facilitate a truce and the release of hostages.

The humanitarian crisis has pushed some areas in the Gaza Strip to the brink of famine. Ensuring safe and speedy delivery of relief items to the affected people has become a major challenge amid the Israel-Hamas war, which will complete five months this week. Notably, US air force planes have started dropping food supplies into Gaza, even as the international community has asked Israel to keep border crossings open for the entry of convoys carrying humanitarian aid.

It is vital for the UN to up the ante against a defiant Israel and hold it accountable for lapses that led to the death of Palestinian relief-seekers. The ceasefire and hostage release proposal must be firmed up promptly to stem the tide of bloodshed and starvation.

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