In March 2024, during the Israel–Hamas war, civilians seeking humanitarian aid were attacked at the Kuwait roundabout near Gaza City. According to the Gaza’s health ministry, 20 Gazans were killed and 155 were wounded. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the accusations saying they did not open in fire at the convoy, claiming that armed militants fired against the Gazan civilians while waiting for the aid convoy to arrive. ^[1]

Background

In the aftermath of the 7 October attack by Hamas, Israel declared on 9 October that it would temporarily restrict the entry of food supplies into Gaza. This measure, as stated by the Israeli authorities, aims to mitigate the security risk posed by Hamas, including the prevention of military supplies being covertly brought in under the pretense of humanitarian assistance. ^{[2] [3]} Since, aid has been supplied to Gaza in various forms and under strict security. Depite global efforts, people in Gaza are suffering severe food shortages. ^[4]

According to the Gaza-based Government Media Office, as of 12 March 2024, Israeli attacks on crowds of aid seekers throughout Gaza had killed at least 400 people since the start of the conflict, including in the Flour massacre on 29 February. ^[5] The assaults were described by the Gaza Ministry of Health as "horrific massacres" by Israeli soldiers opening fire on crowds waiting for humanitarian assistance, while Israel disputes this. ^[6] By mid-March, Al Jazeera English stated that attacks on aid seekers in northern Gaza were "a near-daily occurrence" and the "new normal". ^{[7] [8]} Without assigning blame, the United Nations human rights office has documented more than two dozen attacks as people wait for aid since mid-January 2024. ^[9]

Timeline

• On 3 March 2024, dozens of civilians were killed and injured in an Israeli attack on aid seekers at the Kuwaiti roundabout in Gaza City according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. ^[10]
• On 4 March, another attack was reported at the Kuwaiti roundabout, after thousands of people waited all day for humanitarian aid, Israeli soldiers opened fire on them as soon as the trucks arrived, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. ^[7]
• On 6 March, eight people were wounded after Israel fired live rounds at people seeking humanitarian aid at the Nabulsi roundabout. ^[11]
• On 7 March, five people were killed while waiting for aid at the Nabulsi roundabout. ^[12]
• On 8 March, several people seeking humanitarian aid were reportedly killed by Israeli open fire at the Kuwait Roundabout. ^[13]
• On 19 March, at least 23 people were killed when Israeli fighter jets targeted a group of humanitarian aid coordinators at the Kuwaiti roundabout. ^[14]
• On 23 March, the Gaza Health Ministry stated that 19 persons were killed while waiting for aid at the Kuwaiti Roundabout. ^[15] Israel denied responsibility. ^[16]
• On 24 March, verified video showed an unknown number of casualties from an attack on the Kuwaiti roundabout, with Al Jazeera Arabic reporters stating that the attack was on members of a local aid distribution committee. ^[17]
• On 27 March, the Gaza Health Ministry warned residents to avoid the al-Rashid and Kuwait Roundabouts after two people were reportedly severely wounded by Israeli snipers at the Kuwait Roundabout. ^[18]
• On 28 March, video from near the Nabulsi Roundabout showed two men waving white flags being shot and killed by Israeli forces and then buried under sand. ^[19]
• On 30 March, 17 people were reportedly killed and 30 injured by an Israeli attack on the Kuwait Roundabout. ^{[20] [21]}
• On 31 March, Israeli forces opened fire on humanitarian aid seekers at the Kuwait Roundabout, with witnesses describing the scene as "completely chaotic". ^[22]

14 March attack

On 14 March 2024, an attack occurred on the Kuwait Roundabout east of Gaza City, killing at least 21 people and injuring 155 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. ^{[1] [23]} Israeli tanks fired indiscriminately, with some wounded left bleeding on the streets for hours. ^[24] Others were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, though some of the victims did not receive treatment due to a lack of staff and supplies at the hospital. ^{[25] [26]} Mohammed Ghurab, the director of emergency services at Al-Shifa, stated people had been hit by "direct shots" from Israeli forces. ^{[27] [28]}

Witnesses stated that Israeli tanks and a helicopter fired live ammunition at the aid seekers. ^[29] Survivors of the attack asked why aid trucks were brought into northern Gaza at all if aid seekers were just going to be shot. ^[30]

Responsibility

Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal stated Israel was responsible for the attacks. ^[1] An Al Jazeera correspondent and preliminary investigations conducted by the Euro-Med Monitor concluded that the firing came from an Israeli helicopter. ^[31] Euro-Med Monitor has also found a video clip of an armed individual released by the Israeli army that appears to be taken at the Dawla Roundabout, roughly two kilometers from the Kuwait Roundabout. Bullets from the dead and wounded in these attacks were 5.56 x 45mm NATO bullets, which were discharged from Israeli army-issued weaponry. ^{[32] [33] [34]} The Gaza Media Office stated the attack was part of a "series of massacres and brutal attacks against the defenceless civilians". ^[35]

The Israeli military said "no tank fire, airstrike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy." ^[36] According to the IDF's account of the 14 March attack, militants fired at civilians before the aid convoy's arrival, shot them after the trucks arrived, and then trucks ran over civilians. ^[37]

See also

• Flour massacre
• Gaza Strip famine

References

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