The Al-Rashid Street Massacre: Testimony and Evidence that the Israeli Occupation Army's Narrative is False
The White House said on Friday that there was insufficient information on the occupation army's reports that the martyrs died as a result of the “Maoub Massacre” on Al-Rasheed Street in Gaza City. Amidst doubts over the occupation army's account of the massacre, there was a rush among them for help.
The occupation army spokesman released a fragmented aerial video clip and tried to escape responsibility for the heinous crime by claiming that the stampede and trampling were responsible for the martyrdom of such a large number of Palestinian civilians.
Reuters quoted a White House spokesman as saying: “We do not have enough information to verify the Israeli military's claims that there were casualties in the stampede during the aid incident yesterday.”
Aggressive Narrative “Irregular”
In this context, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Israeli officials' views on the Maou massacre were “contradictory and often contained contradictory information.”
The newspaper, citing an Israeli military official, initially said that the fire was not caused by a tank, but by guns, while another military official indicated that it was an Israeli tank that fired a warning shot and troops began firing into the crowd. The newspaper reviewed statements by a third military officer to a French radio station.
For its part, the American newspaper “The New York Times” admitted that the partial video footage released by the Israeli occupation army, apart from other clips posted on social media, did not fully explain the sequence of events.
The occupation army released parts of a drone video and refused to provide “unedited footage,” the newspaper said, which reinforces the hypothesis of manipulation and “increases confusion about the sequence of events.”
Evidence of the involvement of the occupying army
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Watch reviewed evidence of the occupation army's involvement in the massacre of Maou in Gaza City, confirming on Thursday that dozens of people were injured with gunshot wounds. As a spokesman for the occupying army put it, a novel was talked about, fleeing or being crushed.
Euro-Med highlighted four pieces of evidence confirming the occupation army's involvement in the crime of killing and injuring starving civilians:
- Wound marks on the bodies of the martyrs and wounded were documented by Euro-Med inspectors by examining the victims upon arrival at Al-Shifa Hospital, and the blood from their wounds mixed with flour and flour in the aid boxes.
- Video clips released by eyewitnesses of the crime and the clear sound of bullets coming from the direction of Israeli tanks positioned towards the sea.
- Verification of the sound signature of bullets evident from the 5.56 caliber automatic weapon used by the occupying army, and can be clearly heard in the released clips of the firing.
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Aerial video released by the Israeli occupation army is fragmented and distorted, however, it shows at least two tanks per minute (01:06), and it shows several bodies in the tracks of the tanks. Track of trucks. The report pointed out that a minute (1:06-1:28) of the video shows most of the people in the opposite direction fleeing the aid trucks, including those who were far from the trucks at first, not from the danger trucks or themselves, circled around, but from “another external source.” ” turns out to be.
United Nations: “Many” injured by bullets
In turn, a United Nations-affiliated team visited al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, where hundreds were injured, and reported that it had seen “a large number of injuries as a result of gunfire.”
Personnel from the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Health Organization and UNICEF spent more than two hours on Friday morning reaching the northern Gaza Strip for the first time in more than a week. At a hospital in Gaza City, they also delivered a dose of medicine and fuel, a spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General explained.
Stephane Dujarric said, “Al-Shifa had more than 700 injured yesterday, including 200 people who are still in the hospital. During this visit, hospital staff said they found the bodies of 70 people who were killed yesterday after being massacred.” occurred during aid distribution.
The spokesman did not clarify whether team members had examined the bodies, but confirmed they had seen “numerous gunshot wounds among patients receiving treatment.”
Evidence of the massacre
Reuters quoted four witnesses who were at the scene of the massacre as saying Israeli occupation forces opened fire on them, some of whom spoke of tanks and drones firing.
One of the witnesses, Mahmood Ahmed, said that he had been waiting since Wednesday evening for the convoy that arrived on Thursday morning and was forced to go to where the trucks arrived hoping to get flour for his children due to hunger. . As soon as the aid trucks arrived in northern Gaza, he headed toward them, but a tank and a drone, he said, started firing.
He added: “We left at seven in the evening and stayed until the next day. When help arrived, we gathered to get it, and the tank and the drone started shooting at us, and I was injured in the back and bleeding. Hours.” He continued: “As aid entered, the Israeli tank and drones began shooting at people who were going to get food for their children.”
Another witness, Jihad Muhammad, explained that al-Rashid was waiting at the Nabulsi roundabout on the beach road, which is the main traffic road to northern Gaza.
When he was asked if the occupation army opened fire deliberately, Muhammad replied: “It is true, a tank, soldiers or a plane, they all opened fire.”
A third witness, Sami Muhammad, was among those who waited with his son on Al-Rashid Road for the aid convoy to arrive. He explained that he and his son were waiting for help on Al-Rashid Street at half past three when the occupying army started shelling the people.
Will what happened affect peace efforts?
As international condemnation grew following the massacre, Israeli media suggested the massacre could undermine efforts to conclude a cease-fire and prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.
The Times of Israel newspaper said Thursday's incident could hinder the occupation army from achieving its goals.
For its part, the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz” suggested that the massacre would change the course of the war in the Gaza Strip, saying that “Israeli explanations of what happened are long-standing and it is doubtful whether they can convince anyone.” .”
