CAIRO (Reuters) – Health authorities in Gaza said on Thursday Israeli fire on people waiting for aid near Gaza City had killed more than 70 and wounded 280, with one hospital saying it had received 10 bodies and dozens of injured patients.
A spokesperson for Israel’s military said it had no knowledge of any shelling at that location.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said the incident took place at al-Nabusi roundabout west of Gaza City in the northern part of the enclave.
Medical teams were unable to cope with the volume and severity of injuries from dozens of wounded people who arrived at al-Shifa hospital, Qidra said.
The head of Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza City, Hussam Abu Safieyah, said it had received 10 dead bodies and dozens of wounded patients from the incident west of the city.
“We don’t know how many there are in other hospitals,” Safieyah told Reuters by phone.
Hamas warned in a statement that the incident could lead to the failure of talks aimed at a deal on a truce and hostage release.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas sent fighters into Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Videos posted on social media showed trucks carrying many dead bodies. Reuters verified the location of one video to al-Nabulsi roundabout that showed several men who were motionless, as well as several wounded people.
Referring to the incident, an Israeli military spokesperson said: “There is no knowledge of Israeli shelling in the area.”
(Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi in Cairo; additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Nadine Awadallah and Angus McDowall; Editing by Toby Chopra and Timothy Heritage)
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