More than 100 people were killed in northern Gaza, where Israeli troops opened fire on Thursday, causing panic as starving Palestinian civilians gathered around food aid trucks, Palestinian officials and eyewitnesses said.
CNN cannot independently confirm the death toll and the Israeli military has given a different version of the circumstances.
What we know: The carnage unfolded early Thursday morning when a group of trucks carrying desperately needed aid arrived on Haroun Al Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, in the Sheikh Ajleen neighborhood.
According to witnesses, people were milling around the newly arrived aid trucks when Israeli forces began shooting. Many of the victims died after being run over by trucks, according to one account.
As aid trucks tried to escape the area, others were accidentally hit, causing more deaths and injuries, a witness told CNN.
A local journalist in Gaza, Khader Al Za'anoun, who was at the scene and witnessed the incident, said that the chaos and confusion that led to people being run over by the trucks only began when Israeli forces opened fire.
What the Israeli army says: An Israeli official told CNN that IDF troops used live fire on people surrounding the aid truck when “the crowd approached the forces in a way that posed a threat to the troops, who responded to the threat with live fire. The incident is under review.”
Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman also told reporters that the incident was “obviously a tragedy, but we are not sure of the details yet.”
What Hamas says: Izzat Al-Risheq, a senior Hamas member, warned that Thursday's incident could lead to the failure of ongoing talks aimed at the release of hostages and a ceasefire.
