Palestinians injured by Israeli gunfire were rushed to the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on Sunday, as Gazans condemned the latest attack on desperate aid seekers as a brutal massacre.
At least 73 people were killed and many more wounded earlier on Sunday after the Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians who gathered near the Zikim area, northwest of Gaza City, awaiting the arrival of much-needed humanitarian aid, according to the health ministry in the strip.
The UN World Food Program said in a statement that its 25-truck convoy "encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire," soon after it crossed from Israel and cleared checkpoints.
After the attack, rescuers tried frantically to bring the injured victims to the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital, despite its limited capacity, has become the primary facility receiving the wounded and sick after the Israeli forces bombed the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City earlier this year.
Two eyewitnesses recalled the horror of Sunday's attack in interviews with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the hospital.
"They were hiding behind high barriers. We couldn't see them, but they suddenly emerged and started shooting and shelling us. Women and children were lying dead on the ground. It felt like Doomsday. Everyone was trying to save themselves. Children and women were torn apart, still lying there in large numbers," said a Palestinian man named Fathi Al-Ajlah.
"I saw people dying, lying motionless on the ground. There were no ambulances, and no one could help. The shelling was random, from tanks, warships, and snipers. Gunfire was coming from all directions," said Mohammed Labad, another witness.
Ahmad Alwan, who went to the aid distribute point to collect flour for his family, got wounded in the attack.
"I struggled to reach the truck and grabbed a bag of flour. Suddenly, I was hit in the head and lost consciousness. My brother brought me here. I've been lying here for two hours. No one helped me. What's happening there is a massacre. Young men are dying for food. My other brother was killed there yesterday. He had five children who are now orphans. Both their parents died. I went just to get flour so they could eat," he told CGTN.
Yousef Al-Dalou, a paramedic, said the intense Israeli shooting and shelling made it difficult for rescuers to reach the site.
"The hardest part was the gunfire and the shooting by the quadcopter drones. The area where we recovered the injured was extremely dangerous. There were tanks shelling nearby and the streets were destroyed, making it impossible for ambulances to move. The number of dead and wounded was massive. We even found people who had collapsed from hunger and thirst," he said.
In another incident on Saturday, more than 30 people were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Hamas has demanded an urgent international investigation into "the dubious U.S.-Israeli mechanism for distributing aid, which has become a mechanism for the systematic killing of civilians."
Gazans condemn Israeli massacre at aid site
Gazans condemn Israeli massacre at aid site
Gazans condemn Israeli massacre at aid site
