The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor confirmed that its initial investigations into the flour massacre at the "Nabulsi" roundabout southwest of Gaza City against Palestinian civilians who were attempting to receive humanitarian aid at dawn on Thursday confirm Israel's full involvement in the crime, calling for an effective international investigation to hold Israeli officials accountable.
During a press conference held in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Euro-Med shared the findings of its initial investigation into the incident and the testimonies of the victims amid the Israeli army's attempts to distance itself from the incident by arguing that the victims' deaths were due to a stampede.
At the conference, Euro-Med researcher Muhammad Qariqa said that the Geneva-based organisation's field team - which was present at the time of the incident - documented Israeli tanks firing heavily towards Palestinian civilians while trying to receive humanitarian aid at the "Nabulsi" roundabout.
He explained that the Israeli attack left 11 civilians killed and 760 others injured, while many victims are believed to remain in the targeted area.
Qariqi highlighted that the Euro-Med findings demonstrate that dozens of victims suffered gunshot wounds, rather than being run over or crushed, in contrast to what the Israeli army spokesman claimed.
He further highlighted four pieces of evidence confirming the Israeli army's involvement in killing and wounding starving civilians. The first of which is the signs of injuries on the bodies of the dead and injured. The second piece of evidence is the footage released by the Israeli army itself, which includes audible evidence of gunfire emanating from Israeli tanks positioned near the coast, in addition to the aerial video published by the Israeli army, which is intentionally fragmented and distorted. At minute 1:06, however, the video footage does indicate the existence of at least two Israeli tanks, as well as multiple bodies, in the path of the tanks rather than the aid trucks.
He also pointed to the bullets' distinct sound signature, which is audible in the footage released at the time of the shooting, and identified them as coming from an automatic weapon used by the Israeli army with 5.56 bullets.
For his part, Dr. Jadallah Al-Shafi'i, head of the nursing department at Al-Shifa Hospital, said during the conference that paramedics and rescue workers were among the victims of Israeli shooting at civilians who had gathered at the "Nabulsi" roundabout to receive food supplies.
Al-Shafi'i stated that they observed dozens of dead and injured upon their arrival to Al-Shifa Hospital, hit by Israeli gunfire. He also emphasised that all relevant documentation, including x-rays and medical reports, is accessible to the media, human rights groups, or investigative committees.
Dr. Amjad Aliwa, an emergency specialist at Al-Shifa Hospital, narrated during the conference that he was present with doctors and nurses along with thousands of civilians at the "Nabulsi" roundabout waiting for humanitarian supplies to arrive in light of the spread of famine and people suffering from the lack of the minimum necessities of life.
At the conference, Dr. Amjad Aliwa, an emergency specialist at Al-Shifa Hospital, said that he and other doctors, and nurses were at the "Nabulsi" roundabout along with thousands of civilians waiting for humanitarian supplies to arrive in light of widespread famine and lack of basic necessities for survival.
According to Aliwa, the Israeli army opened heavy fire on everyone waiting to receive aid as soon as the trucks arrived on Thursday at 4 a.m.
What happened at the Nabulsi roundabout constituted a horrifying massacre, Aliwa said, stressing that it was difficult to recover many of the wounded, whose fate is still unknown.
Euro-Med Monitor warned that the Israeli shooting of starving Palestinian civilians receiving aid has become a regular practice. In recent weeks, Israeli forces have directly attacked and killed dozens of people in Gaza City, including on Salah al-Din Street and in the vicinity of Kuwait Roundabout.
