Many political leaders, and much of the world’s media, have uncritically accepted Hamas’ claim that the IDF is responsible for the deaths of 104 Gazans on February 29 at a site where a convoy of more on 30 aid trucks was trying to make its way to a distribution point, when thousands of Gazans swarmed over the trucks, trying to loot them and carry off their cargo of food aid: “US blocks Security Council motion blaming Israel for deadly Gaza aid convoy incident,” Times of Israel, March 1, 2024:
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Israel “must fully investigate how the mass panic and shooting could have happened.”
At least the German Foreign Minister did not call, as her French analogue did, for an “independent inquiry.” That means the Germans trust Israel to conduct, by itself, an exhaustive investigation whose results can be trusted.
The White House said on Thursday that the incident in Gaza City was “tremendously alarming,” as Israel shared drone footage of troops’ attempts to disperse the swelling mob, denying responsibility for the mass deaths amid international criticism of its Gaza offensive….
It’s important for everyone to calm down, stop all the excited finger-pointing at the IDF, resist the temptation to jump on the anti-Israel juggernaut, and instead to ask simply for a thorough investigation to be conducted by the Jewish state. Israel doesn’t need to be told to investigate the deaths of Palestinians at the site of the 30 aid trucks that the IDF was escorting to northern Gaza. That investigation is underway. Meanwhile, everyone should wait for the IDF report to be completed, instead of credulously repeating the Hamas version.
Both the White House and State Department expressed horror over what occurred and indicated that they would demand answers from Israel.
“This latest event needs to be thoroughly investigated,” White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton told reporters on Air Force One. “This event underscores the need for… expanded humanitarian aid to make its way into Gaza.”
“Demand answers from Israel”? That is not how you talk about one of your closest allies. What the Bidenites should have said is that “we are waiting to receive a full report on the incident from the IDF. We understand that they are close to completing their investigation.”
The IDF published a drone video showing thousands of people swarming around the aid trucks as they reached the area in northern Gaza. In some cases, the vehicles continued to try and push past the crowds….
As the thousands of Gazans swarmed around and onto the trucks, some trying to slow the trucks down by standing in front of them, others trying to jump onto the trucks in order to grab packages of food, which they then attempted to hold onto as they jumped down from those slowly moving trucks, or tried to throw those packages to cronies in the crowd, many fell from the trucks onto the ground, while others still on the ground were pushed down, and trampled on by others coming behind them, or the ones underneath were crushed by the weight of those who were pushed from behind and toppled over onto them. coming after. And some fell under the wheels of the trucks as they continued to roll. In other words, there was a horrific stampede that had nothing to do with the IDF. Imagine the hallucinatory scene of thousands of frantic undisciplined people who care only about grabbing food off the 30 trucks for themselves, or snatching food out of someone else’s hands, heedless of whether they trample others in the chaos of sauve-qui-peut.
What happened during Gaza’s stampede is nothing new. When crowds panic, the resultant stampede can often lead to large numbers of deaths. Think of the 151 people in South Korea who were killed in a stampede at a Halloween party last October. Or of the 1,426 Muslims who died in a stampede inside a tunnel in Mecca in 1990. Or another stampede that resulted from a crowd crush during the Stoning of the Devil Ritual in Mecca, in 1994. Or a similar stampede, at the same spot, in 2004, when 251 people were crushed to death. And yet another, at the same spot in Mecca,, in 2006, when 345 people died. Or the stampede at the Al-Aimmah Bridge in Baghdad, Iraq, that occurred on August 31, 2005, when 953 people died following a panic and a subsequent crowd crush. Or the more than 2,400 people who were crushed to death in a stampede, again in Mecca, while at the Stoning of the Devil ritual, in 2015. In San’a, Yemen, a panicked crowd led to the stampede in which 90 people were crushed to death. These are a handful of the stampedes that have claimed the most victims in recent years; all but one has taken place in an Arab country. It should not come as a surprise that the thousands of people besieging the trucks bringing food aid to northern Gaza should have been shoving one another aside, as they frantically tried to grab food for themselves, and ended by trampling fellow Gazans to death.
Israel’s thorough investigation should put paid at least to the doubts of the Bidenites. Israel has been doing its best to minimize harm to civilians in Gaza. But it cannot be expected to prevent thousands of maddened people who are determined to seize food aid for themselves before it can be properly distributed from heedlessly crushing one another. There is only so much the IDF can do, unless it were to simply use live fire, not against a handful of people, but against the thousands running amok on and beside and in front of those aid trucks. Had the IDF fired on such a crowd, imagine the outcry that would then ensue.
mgoldberg says
What about…’Demand an account from Hamas’…. Which of course would amount to them lying but the reality is they orchestrated the whole dammed thing.
mgoldberg says
What about…’Demand an account from Hamas’…. Which of course would amount to them lying but the reality is they orchestrated the whole dammed thing.
bill says
I think not hunan beings are quite capable of this kind of behaviour quite of their volition
CL North says
Spot on Robert Spencer! Excellent synopsis of a 7th century culture that teaches males come first. Women and children are second-class citizens who are beneath the concern & priority of Muslim male adults. There is no “Golden Rule” in the unholy, misogynistic Quran! It’s dog eat dog survival written by a sadistic sociopath. IDF’s biggest mistake was getting involved in distributing or guarding humanitarian aid. Dismantle the UNRWA that exists solely for the Palestinians only…since 1948! Time to abolish this corrupt organization after the IDF proved many UNRWA employees are Hamas supporters. Let all humanitarian aid and relocation be handled by the UNHCR. If they become corrupt the U.S., Europe, Israel and members of the UN should oust them also.
Wellington says
The White House and State Department demand answers from Israel?
This is because the present White House and State Department are composed of many fools, ignoramuses and even purely evil human beings. Heading the list here is of course Dementia Joe—or as Trump regularly and accurately calls him, Crooked Joe.
Israel must proceed on course to eliminate Hamas (ideally Hezbollah too). To the extent that sorry-asses now occupy the White House and State Department (and there’s a shitload who do), Israel needs to ignore such inferior human beings and get on with preserving itself. Long live Israel, now a greater protector of what’s left of the free world than America is under the wretched and destructive Biden Administration.
carpediadem says
It’s because they are not really allies. This is evident from the disparaging contempt with which they treat Israel and its ministers and have done for years. Their real allies are the ones they fawn over and allow to murder Israelis with impunity while guarding their CAIR-based US interests.
Nathaniel Winterson says
The United States has to try to look objective when incidents like this occur. They have to be seen as onside with the shock and awe the incident has inspired. I’m sure they fear their credibility will be damaged otherwise.
Thank heaven they are a Security Council member, and can stop the use of that panel for ganging up on Israel by taking the unfairest view of its actions that can be dreamed up. Hope and pray that that continues to be so. I expect to be hearing soon that the rules themselves should be changed in order to stop it.
CL North says
I’m a U.S. citizen, 30 year military retiree. I don’t blame Israel for mistrusting the UNRWA for food distribution in Gaza since many of their Palestinian “employees” were/are Hamas operatives! IDF should have inspected the relief food trucks for contraband at their Erez border crossing. And then let the UN distribute the food nearby. If it gets looted or stolen that’s on the Palestinians not just blame shifting & scapegoating IDF soldiers. Israel should give Hamas a 24-hour notice to surrender & return Israeli hostages before entering Rafah. Have the tents & food trucks parked in northern Gaza to entice Palestinian civilians to go there. Let American, European, Jordanian, and Egyptian volunteers help the UN distribute food directly to the Palestinians. Military forces on standby to guard food tents & volunteer/paid UN workers. A UN coalition of military forces better than expecting combatants (IDF) to manage it and fight the same people who started the war on 10/7/23.
Westman says
Unfortunately there are influencers who have chosen a side, who are daily condemning Israel. One in particular is Judge Napolitano who was interviewing Prof John Mearsheimer(2 days ago). Mearsheimer had the presence of mind to caution Napolitano that he should wait until all the facts are in.
One question that seems to escape the media is why the Palestinians have not organized a way to distribute the food peacefully and instead are behaving like bulls at a feeding trough? This is a definite black mark on both Islam and Hamas. How can Islam be a force that causes men to cooperate to die for their religion and yet these men cannot cooperate in feeding their families? Some “Brothers”!
Alena says
Good point
Mike says
For Ham-ass, hating and sadistically killing Jews is much more important than caring for Palestinians and Muslims.
Westman says
It certainly appears true. It seems there are men who remain in Islam because it gives them permission to excercise a killing, raping, and mayhem nature that was already festering within them. That describes most violent jihad groups, like Hamas, and the latent evil residing in them, screaming to get out.
Reziac says
There are great swaths of Homo sapiens that have not evolved to a state where ethical civilization is possible. And those think no farther than “Get mine” — be that your property, your women, or your life.
maria says
Yes, the Ham-ass should be investigated and all the murderers of Jewish people in October 7,
should be executed
Reziac says
How about they either behave like civilized humans, or they do without?