[13] An aid convoy entered the northern Gaza Strip on the morning of the incident, with the trucks provided by Palestinian businessmen, and security and organization by Israel.

[16] Survivors described the massacre as an ambush, stating that Israeli forces deliberately opened fire as Palestinians approached the aid trucks, resulting in a rush away from the gunfire that added to the death toll.

[8] A CNN investigation reported that Israel's claims that the incident had begun after 4:30 a.m. local time cast doubt on its version of events, as it had collected and analyzed footage from survivors, including one video showing that gunfire started seven minutes prior.

[26] By 18 October, Israel announced it would allow food, water, and medicine to be delivered to a "safe zone" in west Khan Younis in southern Gaza, distributed by the United Nations.

[28][29][30][a] On 27 January, the International Court of Justice issued preliminary measures ordering Israel to "enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance" to Gaza.

[38] Medical officials have reported a "significant number" of children have died due to malnutrition,[39] and Palestinians in Gaza City have been eating grass and animal feed to survive.

[7] A spokesperson for the Palestine Red Crescent Society stated, "The lack of civil order contributed to around a 50 percent decrease in the total number of aid trucks entering Gaza in February."

[14] Per an IDF spokesperson at approximately 4:45 am,[60] eighteen[61] to thirty[62] humanitarian aid trucks that had been sent from surrounding countries arrived in northern Gaza after passing through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint on the southern-Gaza border with Israel.

He described seeing dozens of dead and injured people lying on the street with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and groin, who were soaked in flour and blood.

"[18] Local journalist Khadeer Al Za'anoun, who witnessed the incident, said that chaos and confusion only began once Israeli forces opened fire, which led to people being hit by aid trucks.

[73] One injured survivor, Kamel Abu Nahel, said that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the crowd as people were taking food out of trucks, causing them to scatter.

[4][80] Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour later told reporters that the death toll rose to 122, but his statement was unable to be verified.

[89] Several days after the attack, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty stated, "There is concrete evidence that contradicts whatever statements are being made by the Israeli authorities".

[17] IDF spokesman Peter Lerner stated, "The tanks that were there to secure the convoy see the Gazans being trampled and cautiously tries to disperse the mob with a few warning shots.

"[62] The IDF spokesman stated that an officer in the area ordered soldiers to fire warning shots into the air and at the legs of those who continued to advance towards the checkpoint.

[16][101] The New York Times reported that, "The video, which does not include audio, was edited by the Israeli military with multiple clips spliced together, leaving out a key moment before many in the crowd start running away from the trucks, with some people crawling behind walls, appearing to take cover."

Summarizing their conclusions based on interviews, video records, and contacting medical staff, they stated: According to initial information obtained by our field researchers, on 29 February 2024, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Israeli tanks and snipers stationed southwest of Gaza city opened heavy fire on thousands of Palestinian civilians who were desperately waiting for hours for aid convoys to arrive.

The intense shooting by the IOF, which continued for approximately an hour and a half, coincided with the arrival of aid trucks near Al-Nabulsi roundabout on Al-Rashid Street, after they entered through an Israeli checkpoint.

The continued shooting subsequently caused more injuries and hampered the prompt arrival of ambulance and rescue teams, impeding the transfer and adequate treatment of the victims.

However evidence, collected by CNN and reviewed by forensic experts, indicated that automatic gunfire began seven minutes before 4:29 a.m., and that shots were fired within close range of the crowds.

[12] The head of the UN humanitarian coordination sub-office in the Gaza Strip Georgios Petropoulos estimated that he had seen at least 200 people being treated for injuries, including gunshot wounds.

"[56] The Palestinian National Authority condemned the event, saying the civilians were merely trying to get food and much needed supplies and the IDF opened fire, killing innocent citizens and injuring hundreds.

[103] The Gaza Health Ministry said the incident was part of Israel's "genocidal war" and called for the international community to intervene to forge a ceasefire "as the only way to protect civilians".

[22] Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, called on the International Criminal Court to take action, stating that being "silent is complicit".

[109] United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the incident, and said that the desperate citizens in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the UN had been unable to provide aid in over a week.

[4] Doctors Without Borders released a statement: "We consider Israel responsible for the situation of extreme deprivation and despair which prevails in Gaza — particularly in the north — which led to today's tragic events.

[136] Paula Gaviria Betancur, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of displaced people, stated, "I am horrified by the depravity of killing civilians while they are at their most vulnerable and seeking basic assistance.

[138] In a statement, Refugees International called for an independent investigation and stated "There is nothing that can justify the killing of civilians desperate to receive lifesaving relief for their families".

[141] Dennis Francis, the UN General Assembly president, stated he was "shocked and horrified at the reported killing and injury of hundreds of people during disbursement of food supplies".

[146][147] On March 23, 2024, Israeli troops once again fired on Palestinians waiting for aid at the Kuwaiti roundabout, killing 19 and injuring 23 others in what Gaza's media office called a "massacre".