JERUSALEM, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli military said Friday that "armed Palestinians" shot civilians near an aid distribution point in northern Gaza on Thursday, rejecting claims that the Israeli soldiers were responsible for the incident.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry accused the Israeli army of opening fire at the crowd waiting to obtain aid in Gaza City on Thursday. The Israeli gunfire killed at least 20 people and wounded 155 others at the Kuwait Roundabout east of the city, said the ministry.
Meanwhile, local witnesses and sources confirmed to Xinhua on Thursday that helicopters opened fire with machine guns and launched several shells toward the gathering, while Palestinian media outlets said at least 30 people were killed in the incident.
"An intensive preliminary review conducted overnight by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) found that the IDF did not open fire at the aid convoy in Kuwait Square," the military said in a statement, adding that "no tank fire, air strike or gunfire was carried out toward the Gazan civilians at the aid convoy."
"Armed Palestinians opened fire while Gazan civilians were awaiting the arrival of the aid convoy," read the statement. "When aid trucks were entering, the gunmen continued to shoot as the crowd began looting the trucks. Additionally, a number of Gazan civilians were run over by the trucks," it added.
The military said it was still reviewing the incident. ■
