U.N. official says he saw Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians fishing off Gaza coast
U.N. official says he saw Israeli troops kill 2 Palestinians fishing off Gaza coast
The spokesperson for the U.N. children's agency told CBS News the Palestinian men were fishing in knee-deep water when Israeli forces opened fire.
Two men fishing in the waters off the coast of the Gaza Strip were killed Wednesday by Israeli troops firing at them with automatic weapons, James Elder, the global spokesperson for the United Nations' children's agency UNICEF, told CBS News.
Elder said he was in a truck attempting to deliver food and medical supplies for 10,000 children in northern Gaza when his team was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint. From his position, he said he could see about 10 men fishing with a single net in knee-deep water.
"I was standing outside the vehicle and suddenly saw a tank coming and then firing, and saw those two men seek to run from their fishing spot and then hit the sand," Elder said.
Elder said he heard the sound of an automatic weapon coming from near the tank before the men fell. He said his group eventually made contact with the military and that some of the fishermen who fled the shooting were able to return to the beach to retrieve the bodies of those who were killed.
Elder said he and his team were prevented from delivering their aid shipment and forced to turn back that day.
"We spent about eight or nine hours at military checkpoints. In the end, our truck, despite all the approvals, was denied access and returned ... Yes, we will try again. Obviously, we'll try again. But this is consistent with the denials that we and many other agencies have experienced," Elder said.
Israel has previously said that it allows hundreds of trucks carrying aid to enter Gaza daily, and the Israeli government has blamed the U.N. for failing to distribute it.
Sounds like we can't trust the IDF's numbers on aid trucks being let in if they're counting ones they initially let in and then forced to leave at a later checkpoint.
Yup. This has been the situation from day one of this conflict.
"Sounds like we can't trust the IDF."
Fixed that for you.
Asked if the men in the water had shown any signs of hostility toward Israeli forces, he told CBS News: "They were fishermen. They were fishing."
When asked about the incident, which Elder first reported in an Instagram post, the Israel Defense Forces asked for an exact location and said it was looking into the claim.
Another day, another war crime. I can't imagine the anger and helplessness these families must feel, seeing these assholes kill their loved ones for no reason other than their genocidal hatred and enjoyment of killing.
No, they had a reason and it's worse. Those guys were fishing for food to survive. It's the same reason Israel killed the World Central Kitchen guys, and the same reason they won't allow aid trucks in.
They're intentionally starving Gaza.
Remember Hamas was voted into power because of the brutal shit Isreal would due to the Palestinians. Isreal created Hamas.
The tunnels that hamas use where partly built by Israel
The money Hamas used was partly given by Israel.
I’m an atheist but I feel bad for them if their god turns out to be real, cause it won’t go well for them. Murderous bastards.
Hamas was hiding on the other end of the fishing line.