Reactions Continue to the Death of Over a Hundred Palestinians in Gaza; U.S. Calls for Further Investigations by Israel

In response to the deaths of at least a hundred people in a crowd during food aid distribution in Gaza City, the White House on Friday called for an investigation by Israel into the matter. According to CNN, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council stated in a press conference: "We have asked the Israeli government to investigate this issue as such tragedies must be prevented from recurring." John Kirby noted similar incidents that have occurred in Gaza, adding: "Israelis have been very honest about their mistakes so far, and our current assessment is that they take this issue seriously and are investigating the events that have occurred." It is reported that over a hundred civilians in Gaza died after a convoy of 18 trucks carrying food entered Gaza on Thursday morning, leading people to gather for the aid. An Israeli army spokesperson commented on the incident, stating that after unrest began and some individuals were trampled, an Israeli tank fired warning shots to disperse the crowd. Khader Al-Zayoun, a journalist present at the scene, rejected this narrative, stating that chaos began when Israeli forces started shooting. Al-Zayoun added that some Palestinians were killed due to the gunfire, but most casualties occurred in accidents involving aid trucks colliding with the crowd fleeing the gunfire. It is noteworthy that Arab countries on Thursday, March 1, failed to gain immediate support for a proposed statement to the United Nations Security Council condemning Israel. Israel's military operations began in response to the killing of 1,200 people and the capture of about 250 individuals in the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants supported by the Iranian government. Hamas claims that Israel's comprehensive attacks have led to the deaths of over 30,000 Palestinians; however, the Persian section of Voice of America cannot independently verify or confirm the figures provided. The High Commissioner for Human Rights accused all parties involved in the Gaza war of "war crimes."