Flour massacre

Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Al-Nabulsi roundabout Location within the Gaza Strip
Location	Gaza Strip, Palestine
Coordinates	31°30′9.95″N 34°24′52.34″E
Date	29 February 2024 ~4:30 a.m. (UTC+02:00)
Attack type	Massacre, mass shooting
Deaths	112+
Injured	760+
Accused	Israeli Ground Forces

On 29 February 2024, a massacre occurred when a group of Palestinians receiving humanitarian aid where fired upon by the Israel Defense Forces. 112 Palestinian civilians were killed and at least 760 were injured; the circumstances are disputed. This incident, which has been referred to as the Flour Massacre in media, took place when Israeli forces opened fire on civilians who were attempting to get food from aid trucks on Al-Rashid street at the Al-Nabulsi roundabout to the west of Gaza City.

Israeli and Palestinian accounts differ regarding what occurred. The Gaza Health Ministry dubbed the incident as a massacre where 112 people were killed by Israeli gunfire, while Israeli officials claimed that most of the casualties were from a stampede ensuing from warning shots fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when a mob endangered them in two related incidents. Conflictingly, other Israeli officials stated that they did in fact shoot some of the victims, although added that they believed that they were responsible for fewer than ten of the casualties. Al Jazeera and CNN said the attack was part of a broader pattern of Israeli attacks on people seeking humanitarian aid. Survivors described it as an ambush, stating that Israeli forces opened fire as people approached the aid trucks, resulting in a rush away from the gunfire that added to the death toll.

The incident occurred one day after Carl Skau, the deputy executive director of the World Food Programme, told the United Nations Security Council that more than 500,000 people were at risk of imminent famine in Gaza.

Background

Main articles: Humanitarian aid during the Israel–Hamas war and Israel–Hamas war

Since 2007, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade which has restricted the flow of goods and movement in and out of the Gaza Strip. On 7 October, militants from Hamas broke into Israeli territory, killing over 1,000 Israelis, civilians and soldiers. In response to this, Israel implemented a tightened complete blockade on Gaza, preventing the entry of any humanitarian aid on 9 October. By 18 October, Israel announced it would allow food, water, and medicine to be delivered to a "safe zone" in west Khan Younis in southern Gaza, distributed by the United Nations. Continued issues were seen with the delivery of aid into Gaza, with fluctuating numbers of trucks and aid parcels, destruction of convoy vehicles by the IDF, Israeli civilians and officials blocking aid, and IDF allegations that Hamas leadership was stockpiling and controlling the aid's distribution. On 27 January, the International Court of Justice issued preliminary measures ordering Israel to "enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance" to Gaza. In late February, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch stated Israel was failing to comply with this order.

Concerns about the sparse amount of aid being allowed into Gaza and the chaos it could generate was highlighted by Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council who described an aid delivery being looted by desperate civilians due to the low amount of aid. Israel also faced criticism for creating "lawlessness" after killing the Gaza police responsible for safeguarding humanitarian aid. According to the United Nations in a report on 27 February more than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine, with the UN World Food Programme warning of a real prospect of famine by May 2024. International aid groups have reported people in northern Gaza are already facing near famine levels of hunger. Medical officials have reported a "significant number" of children have died due to malnutrition, and Palestinians in Gaza City have been eating grass and animal feed to survive. During February 2024, only 2,300 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip, about half the number that entered in January and far below the 500 trucks per day before the war began.

Prior to the attack, there were multiple reports of Israeli attacks on humanitarian aid convoys and aid seekers. On 25 January 2024, the Gaza Health Ministry reported an Israeli attack on aid seekers had killed 20 and wounded 150. On 5 February, Israel bombed a truck loaded with food headed toward northern Gaza. On 6 February, Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for food aid trucks in Gaza City. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated it was the fifth report of Israel firing upon people waiting for humanitarian aid. On 20 February, at least one Palestinian civilian was killed while waiting to receive humanitarian aid. An Al Jazeera report on 27 February had found people seeking aid had faced "consistent" attacks by Israeli forces. The day before the attack, medical sources in Gaza City had reported that three people were killed while waiting for aid on al-Rashid Street. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported that northern Gaza is already in famine.

The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that the first convoys carrying food to northern Gaza in a month had started that week, and that 31 trucks carrying food had entered northern Gaza the previous day. The UN was not involved in organising that convoy. Hani Mahmoud, a journalist in Gaza, said of the trucks that had reached northern Gaza: "Compared with the needs of the 600,000 people there, that is nothing."

After the incident, the IDF spokesperson raised claims that they had been delivering aid without problem for four days leading up to the incident, and that Israel has not put any limit on the amount of aid that can be delivered into Gaza. Humanitarian aid workers, however, described this characterization as "disingenuous". Israel has stated that the UN is to blame for the lack of delivery of humanitarian aid, the UN OCHA however has rebuked those statements. The aid delivery was operated by private contractors as part of an Israeli operation which OCHA said was made without coordination with the U.N.

Event

Per an IDF spokesperson at approximately 4 a.m., eighteen to thirty-eight humanitarian aid trucks that had been sent from surrounding countries arrived in northern-Gaza after passing through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint on the southern-Gaza border with Israel. At around 4:30 the trucks began to travel through a humanitarian corridor that the IDF had secured, a large group of Palestinians rushed toward the aid trucks. The Associated Press reported that it was not clear who had organized the delivery of aid; the BBC reported that IDF tanks had escorted the trucks to the delivery location. Per a local journalist who was also a witness to the chaos, the large crowds had gathered to wait for the aid and food to be disbursed from the trucks. The truck drivers reportedly attempted to escape the crowds but were unable to due to the rubble and crowds, and accidentally rammed one another which added to the confusion.

According to an IDF spokesperson, due to the chaos IDF troops and tanks stationed along and near the aid convoy fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd surrounding the aid trucks. The IDF has then alleged that after the convoy was able to clear the area some of those that had rushed the convoy, began to approach the IDF forces and tanks. In response, the IDF opened fire. Video of the crowd broadcast by Al Jazeera records the sound of gunfire and shows tracer ammunition over the crowd from the Israeli military position.

Gazan doctor Yehia Al Masri, who was near the scene of the incident, said he heard shelling and gunshots at around 4 a.m., and went outside to an intersection when the shooting subsided. He described seeing dozens of dead and injured people lying on the street with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and groin, who were soaked in flour and blood. Al Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul reported that "Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies." Local journalist Khadeer Al Za'anoun, who witnessed the incident, said that chaos and confusion was sparked after Israeli forces opened fire, which led to people being hit by aid trucks. One aid truck was used to carry the wounded to Al-Shifa Hospital.

One injured survivor, Kamel Abu Nahel, said that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the crowd as people were taking food out of trucks, causing them to scatter. Another survivor stated people in front of him were shot by Israeli snipers who "targeted their heads, elbows and knees". Other survivors described the attack as an ambush, stating they were shot by attack drones, naval forces, and armoured vehicles. One survivor stated, "Once we approached the aid trucks, the Israeli tanks and warplanes started firing at us as if it was a trap". After the shooting stopped, the people returned to the trucks and the soldiers opened fire again.

Victims

Initial reports of the incident said that 50 people were killed. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and said that 70 people died and at least 250 were wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza later revised the death toll to least 112, with about 760 people injured. Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour later told reporters that the death toll rose to 122, but his statement was unable to be verified.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City reported receiving approximately 100 people injured with gunshot wounds and the bodies of 12 people who had been killed. Journalist Hussam Shabat reported that every casualty he saw at that hospital had suffered bullet wounds, "including to the chest, jaw and shoulder." The director of Kamal Adwan stated, "We are operating on batteries... we have no operating rooms. I stand helpless. We are simply administering first-aid treatment only." The head of nursing at Al-Shifa Hospital, Jadallah al-Shafei, described how "the hospital was flooded with dozens of dead bodies and hundreds of injured. The majority of the victims suffered gunshots and shrapnel in the head and upper parts of their bodies. They were hit by direct artillery shelling, drone missiles and gun firing." At Al-Awda Hospital, director Dr. Mohammed Salha told reporters that 142 of the 176 wounded brought to the hospital had gunshot wounds, and that the remaining 34 were injured from a stampede. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated that among the injured patients, "there were a large number of gunshot wounds."

The spokesperson of the Gaza Health Ministry said that the death toll was expected to rise as dozens of the wounded were reported to be in critical or serious condition. The injuries of patients taken to Al-Shifa Hospital varied, ranging from gunshot wounds to being trampled to being struck by artillery shells from tanks. The head of ambulance services at al-Shifa stated the hospital was overwhelmed by the large of wounded. At least 160 of the wounded were taken to Al-Awda Hospital, where patients were treated for gunshot wounds and tank shell injuries. A doctor at the hospital told The Independent that 27 of the patients needed urgent surgery, but fuel shortages caused difficulty in conducting them. The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that many of the wounded would not receive treatment due to the healthcare system collapse.

Investigations

International

On the same day as the attack, Amnesty International announced it was launching an investigation, stating it "is investigating this as part of its ongoing documentation of violations against Palestinian civilians". French foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné stated, "We will demand explanations and there will need to be an independent investigation." The US blocked an attempt at the UN to condemn Israeli actions. The European External Action Service stated that many of the dead and wounded were "hit by Israeli army fire" and called for an independent investigation.

Israeli Defense Forces

Aerial footage released by the Israeli Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces attributed the casualties to chaos and stampedes triggered by the arrival of aid trucks in northern Gaza, leading to numerous injuries.

An IDF spokesman said that the army did not fire at the crowd at the head of the main aid convoy, but at the tail of the convoy hundreds of yards south. The spokesman described them as rushing towards trucks and then approaching Israeli troops and a tank securing the road. The IDF spokesman stated that an officer in the area ordered soldiers to fire warning shots into the air and at the legs of those who continued to advance towards the checkpoint. When asked about what constituted a threat to Israeli soldiers, IDF spokesman Peter Lerner explained that anyone who approaches despite a warning is classified as a threat.

The IDF said fewer than ten of the deaths directly resulted from Israeli fire. A drone video published by the IDF showed thousands of people swarming aid trucks, surrounding them as they arrived at Al-Rashid, and a statement claimed that some were looting equipment. Trucks were seen attempting to push through the crowds. The IDF attributed most of the casualties to stampeding and being run over by the aid trucks. The New York Times reported that, "The video, which does not include audio, was edited by the Israeli military with multiple clips spliced together, leaving out a key moment before many in the crowd start running away from the trucks, with some people crawling behind walls, appearing to take cover." Following a break, the video shows "at least a dozen bodies are visible on the ground at the scene," which includes aid trucks and two Israeli military vehicles. The BBC reported that the video was edited into four sections, the first two sections showing people surrounding lorries just south of the Nabulsi roundabout and the second two further south which show motionless figures lying on the ground. The BBC has requested the complete footage.

Palestinian human rights organizations

Three organizations, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Al Mezan, and Al-Haq, issued a joint statement condemning the "flour massacre" on Al-Rashid Street. Summarizing their conclusions based on interviews, video records, and contacting medical staff, they stated:

According to initial information obtained by our field researchers, on 29 February 2024, at approximately 4:30 am, Israeli tanks and snipers stationed southwest of Gaza city opened heavy fire on thousands of Palestinian civilians who were desperately waiting for hours for aid convoys to arrive. The intense shooting by the IOF, which continued for approximately an hour and a half, coincided with the arrival of aid trucks near Al-Nabulsi roundabout on Al-Rashid Street, after they entered through an Israeli checkpoint. Dozens of people boarded the trucks to take flour bags and packages of canned food. The continued shooting subsequently caused more injuries and hampered the prompt arrival of ambulance and rescue teams, impeding the transfer and adequate treatment of the victims.

Reactions

Palestinian

Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, called the incident an "ugly massacre" that was perpetrated by the "Israeli occupation army." The Palestinian National Authority condemned the event, saying the civilians were merely trying to get food and much needed supplies and the IDF opened in fire killing innocent citizens and injuring hundreds. The Gaza Health Ministry said the incident was part of Israel's "genocidal war" and called for the international community to intervene to forge a ceasefire "as the only way to protect civilians". Following the event, Hamas called it a "heinous massacre added to the long series of massacres committed by the criminal Zionist entity against our Palestinian people" and threatened to stop the hostage negotiations.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, called on the International Criminal Court to take action, stating that being "silent is complicit". Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, criticized Western governments of being "complicit with these crimes and allow[ing] them to happen".

Israeli

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the Israeli military saying "We must give complete support to our heroic fighters operating in Gaza, who acted excellently against a Gazan mob that tried to harm them." He further stated the incident was "another reason why we must stop the transfer of aid." Eylon Levy, an Israeli spokesman from London, stated, "My heart goes out to the civilians who got trampled in a stampede".

International

• Algeria: Algeria proposed a motion to the United Nations Security Council to release a statement condemning the massacre, which was blocked by the United States.
• Arab League: The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, condemned the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces.
• Australia: Australian foreign minister Penny Wong stated, "Australia is horrified by today's catastrophe in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has led to it. These events underscore why for months Australia has been calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza."
• Belgium: Belgian deputy prime minister Petra de Sutter said she was horrified by the news of the massacre.
• Brazil: Brazil condemned the killings, stating that it appeared Israel's operation had no "ethical or legal limits".
• Canada: Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly described the incident as "a nightmare" and called for an end to fighting.
• China: foreign minister Mao Ning said that "China urges the relevant parties, especially Israel, to cease fire and end the fighting immediately, earnestly protect civilians' safety, ensure that humanitarian aid can enter, and avoid an even more serious humanitarian disaster."
• Colombia: Colombian president Gustavo Petro announced the country would cease importing Israeli weapons after the incident, and he also made a statement, saying: "Asking for food, more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Netanyahu. This is called genocide and recalls The Holocaust. The world must block Netanyahu,"
• Egypt: Egypt condemned the Israeli forces' targeting of Palestinians waiting for aid.
• European Union: Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, said Israel's depriving food from Palestinians was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, and described the incident as "totally unacceptable carnage".
• France: France said that Israeli soldiers firing upon civilians attempting to access food was unjustifiable. French president Emmanuel Macron stated, "Deep indignation at the images coming from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers."
• Germany: Annalena Baerbock, the German foreign minister, wrote, "The reports from Gaza shock me. The Israeli army must fully explain how the mass panic and shooting could have happened."
• Iran: authorities described the attack as a "barbaric attack by the Zionist regime".
• Italy: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated, "The tragic deaths in Gaza demand an immediate ceasefire... We strongly urge Israel to protect the people in Gaza and to rigorously ascertain facts and responsibilities". Prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deep dismay and concern."
• Jordan: The ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a statement condemning the attack, saying: "We condemn the Israeli occupation forces' brutal targeting of the gathering of Palestinians who were waiting for aid on the Nabulsi roundabout near Al-Rashid Street in Gaza."
• Lebanon: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants said the incident fell "within the framework of the policy of mass starvation and extermination of the Palestinian people, which drives them to despair and adds fuel to the fire."
• Oman: The Omani Foreign Ministry called the attack a violation of international law and "continuation of the policy of extermination".
• Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia said it rejected violations of humanitarian law by any side, under any circumstance, and called for the international community to pressure Israel into opening secure humanitarian corridors for the Gaza Strip.
• Qatar: The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying, "Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the heinous massacre committed by the Israeli occupation, against defenseless civilians who were waiting for humanitarian aid to arrive in Gaza."
• Turkey: The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack a crime against humanity and "evidence of Israel's intention to destroy the entire Palestinian population".
• United Arab Emirates: The UAE foreign ministry stated it "strongly condemns the targeting by the Israeli occupation forces of a gathering of thousands of Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip".
• United States: The United States vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) statement that would have condemned Israel for the Al-Rashid humanitarian aid incident. The United States Department of State expressed condolences for the people who were killed or injured, and spokesperson Matthew Miller said they were in touch with the Israeli government and pressing them for answers. President Joe Biden told reporters that his administration was checking two competing versions of the incident, and added that the event would complicate ceasefire talks. In separate calls on the same day with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Biden discussed what was described as the "tragic and alarming incident" in Gaza City. On 1 March, Joe Biden stated that the United States would begin delivering civilian aid to Gaza via airdrops.
• Yemen: Yemen has said the killings amount to "war crimes and the collective punishment of innocent people".

Aid organizations

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident, and said that the desperate citizens in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the UN had been unable to provide aid in over a week. Doctors Without Borders released a statement: "We consider Israel responsible for the situation of extreme deprivation and despair which prevails in Gaza — particularly in the north — which led to today’s tragic events." Mercy Corps criticized the "deliberate denial of humanitarian access into Gaza City" and expressed "horror at the unnecessary loss of life in Gaza as at least a hundred people are reportedly killed and many more injured at a food distribution in Gaza City".

Catherine M. Russell, the executive director of UNICEF, stated she was "horrified" and called for "safe access to humanitarian aid". In a statement, Refugees International called for an independent investigation and stated "There is nothing that can justify the killing of civilians desperate to receive lifesaving relief for their families". Martin Griffiths, the UN'S humanitarian aid coordinator, stated he was appalled by the attack, saying, "Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed." A representative from the Palestinian Medical Relief Society stated: "This situation is happening every day, it’s not the first time".

See also

• Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza
• Gaza Strip famine
• Israeli war crimes
• List of massacres in the Palestinian territories
• Misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war#IDF reliability as a source
• War crimes in the Israel–Hamas war

External links

• Media related to Al-Rashid massacre at Wikimedia Commons