UN: ‘A large number of gunshot wounds’ among injured in Gaza aid debacle

A UN team visiting a Gaza hospital has reported “a large number of gunshot wounds” among dozens of Palestinians being treated for injuries sustained on Thursday during what Israel says was a crowd crush during an aid delivery in Gaza City.

UN staff, the first to visit Gaza’s north in more than a week, spent just over two hours at Al-Shifa hospital, where they delivered medication and fuel.

The visit comes in the wake of Thursday’s incident. Hamas blamed the IDF for the deaths and claimed troops opened fire.

The military said most of the casualties were caused by a stampede and being run over by the supply vehicles. Gunmen also opened fire in the area as they looted the supplies.

The army said it did not fire at the crowd rushing the main aid convoy. It acknowledged that troops opened fire on several Gazans who moved toward soldiers and a tank at an IDF checkpoint, endangering soldiers, after they had rushed the last truck in the convoy further south

“Al-Shifa hospital has reportedly admitted more than 700 people who were injured yesterday, about 200 of whom are still being hospitalized,” says Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

They also received the bodies of more than 70 people killed in the incident, hospital staff told the team which was comprised of representatives from the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA), WHO and UNICEF.

Among the injured, the team reported “there was a large number of gunshot wounds,” Dujarric says, although he adds that he did not know whether the representatives were able to examine the bodies of those killed.

According to the area’s Hamas-run health ministry, the death toll stood at 115, with some 760 injured.

Israel said the casualties were in the dozens.