BICOM

Screenshot: IDF Spokesperson’s Office

What’s happened: Following the death of dozens of Palestinians after a stampede broke out around an aid convoy west of Gaza City, the US has blocked an Algerian-sponsored statement at the United Nations Security Council which sought to blame Israel.

• While reports conflict, it appears that:
  • Before dawn yesterday morning, approximately 30 trucks containing aid entered the Gaza Strip to deliver food to the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City.
  • At approximately 4.40 AM, thousands of Gazans swarmed the trucks. Drone footage of the event shows some of the trucks attempting to drive through the crowds, presumably in an effort to extract themselves and deliver the aid they were carrying.
  • After a number of trucks were able to continue north, armed men opened fire on what remained of the convoy.
  • While the IDF has admitted that its troops did open fire, it says that this was only “when they encountered danger, when the mob moved toward it in a manner that endangered the force”.
  • The IDF also says that it “did not fire toward individuals seeking aid and we did not fire toward the humanitarian convoy from the ground nor from the air.”
  • It is being reported that at least 112 Gazans were killed in this incident, with approximately 760 being injured. However, as these figures originate from within the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health, their veracity is questionable.
  • The IDF’s initial inquiry into the incident has concluded its troops’ fire killed only 7 or 8 people and that the majority were killed in the chaos, not by shooting.
  • “The tanks were there to provide security for the trucks. Our aircraft gave the troops on the ground a full picture from above,” the IDF said.
  • “When the hundreds turned into thousands, the IDF complied with international law… Israel did not limit the quantity of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. We recognize the suffering of the Gaza residents.”
• In the aftermath of this event, much of the international community has reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire and increased aid being allowed into the Gaza Strip.
• At the United Nations Security Council, Algeria sought to issue a statement which explicitly blamed Israel for this deadly incident. While supported by 14 out of 15 council members, it was blocked by the US.
• When asked why the US had not supported this statement, Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood said: “We don’t have all the facts on the ground – that’s the problem.”
• He also said that in the face of contradictory reports, the US was trying to  establish facts, including regarding the “circumstances around how people died”.
• President Biden has also discussed this incident with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to a White House statement, they agreed that it “underscored the urgency of bringing negotiations to a close as soon as possible”.
• The White House has also called for this event to be “thoroughly investigated”.

Context: Israel will conduct a thorough investigation into an incident which further highlights the complexity of distributing aid to the Gazan people and the urgent necessity of forming a civilian infrastructure to prevent further incidents of this kind.

• There are also suggestions that plans are being considered to parachute aid in, or to bring it from the sea in the northern Gaza Strip, avoiding the need for road convoys. Even prior to yesterday’s incident, the US and Canadian governments were reported to be considering their own air-drops.
• The Jordanians, in cooperation with Israel, have been air-dropping aid since the beginning of the war. For example, on February 27^th, 160 packages were successfully delivered to the residents of southern Gaza.
• The UK FCDO yesterday confirmed it was providing Jordan and Bahrain with parachutes to enable further aid to be dropped. “Together with our international partners we will continue to get humanitarian aid to those most in need,” it said.
• Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) statistics show that 268,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid –  food, medical equipment, water, as well as shelter equipment – have been delivered on 14,545 aid trucks since the beginning of the war. 1246 water trucks have entered, ensuring 28.5 million litres of water a day.
• The aid enables 20 bakeries to currently operate across Gaza, providing 2.5 million bread rolls and pita breads a day.
• US and Qatari-brokered negotiations between Israel and Hamas aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages captured on 7^th October had been slowly progressing. However,  President Biden has indicated a concern that this incident will “complicate” negotiations.
• In a press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu has said that Hamas has put up a “brick wall of delusional, unrealistic…demands”, seemingly pouring cold water on the possibility that an agreement leading to a ceasefire and hostage exchange is imminently reached.
• Hamas branded yesterday’s incident an “unprecedented war crime”, while the PA President, Mahmoud Abbas, referred to it as “an ugly massacre conducted by the Israeli occupation army on people who waited for aid trucks”

Looking ahead: While ceasefire negotiations are likely to continue, Thursday’s events risk prejudicing them against Israel and in Hamas’s favour.

• Combat operations will continue in the Gaza Strip. Israel is particularly vigilant in areas where despite previous IDF control, pockets of Hamas fighting cells remain able to carry out attacks.