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At least 115 people were killed and at least 760 were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian civilians waiting for food on Thursday, according to Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

It is one of the deadliest tragedies in Gaza since Israel’s war against Hamas began on October 7.

Now the demand for an independent investigation into this incident is increasing. The United Nations has said an independent investigation is needed to establish the facts, and countries such as France have supported that call.

What happened: A convoy of at least 18 food trucks sent by several countries in the region arrived in northern Gaza on Thursday morning. Witnesses said Palestinian civilians gathered around newly arrived aid trucks in hopes of getting food and soon Israeli forces began firing. Eyewitnesses told CNN that aid trucks attempted to leave the area, accidentally hitting others and causing more deaths and injuries. The Israeli military gave a different version of the circumstances. In an update on Thursday, the Israeli military said Israeli tanks fired warning shots to disperse crowds around the aid convoy after seeing people trampling.

Demand for investigation at global level: This Friday the White House said that the United States asked Israel to investigate the tragedy. Germany also called on Israel to “thoroughly investigate” the deaths. France said it would support UN calls for an independent investigation, and the French Foreign Minister described the incidents on the ground as “unsafe”.

What could this mean for war: The deaths come at a critical time in the conflict, with talks between Israel and Hamas reaching a potentially critical moment on an agreement to stop fighting and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Senior Hamas member Ezzat al-Rishek warned that the killing of people collecting aid from trucks in Gaza could cause ongoing talks to fail. US officials said on Friday there was no indication that the discussions had been substantially derailed, but much depended on Hamas’s expected response to discussions held last week in Paris and Doha, which included other countries. Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the United Nations. Empire. We.

In the context of a dire human situation: UN agencies warned earlier this week that more than half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine as five months of war approaches. Aid has been so scarce that, when available, it has often caused panic. At least 10 Palestinian children have died of hunger in Gaza and the number is expected to rise, the United Nations said Friday.

aid flow has slowed down: The Rafah crossing, where most aid was delivered to Gaza, is now operating at reduced speeds, and the alternative Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel has been blocked by protesters demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas. , The Jordanian military carried out three aid airdrops into parts of Gaza City on Friday, and US President Joe Biden announced that the United States would also airdrop supplies of its own in the coming days.