A HUMANITARIAN charity has said it is likely that Israel was responsible for an attack on an evacuation convoy in Gaza which resulted in the deaths of two people.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said an incident which saw several “clearly identified” vehicles come under fire on November 18 was in all likelihood an attack by members of the Israel Defence Forces.
In a statement released on the MSF website, they said two people were killed in the attack – both of them family members of MSF staff, including one who was working as a volunteer at Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
They said: “After collecting the testimonies of MSF staff who were present in the convoy that day, all elements point to the responsibility of the Israeli army for this attack.”
The humanitarian organisation added that the destruction of five MSF vehicles and damage to their clinic in Gaza City on November 20 could also be attributed to an Israeli bulldozer.
🔴On 18 November, an MSF evacuation convoy came under fire in #Gaza, killing two people. After collecting the testimonies of MSF staff present, MSF considers that all elements point to the Israeli army as being responsible for this attack. Learn more 👇https://t.co/5VUWDpb1D5
— MSF International (@MSF) December 2, 2023
“Before they were destroyed,” they continued. “These MSF vehicles were potential evidence for any independent investigation into the November 18 attack on the MSF convoy.”
One MSF staff member said of the incident: “We heard a strange sound, like cars being crushed, and gunshots.
“I looked through the window and I saw the cars had been pushed to the side and a fire had started.
“Once the tanks moved a little further away, I started filming, though I was scared. It was a terrible, frightening sight.
“My colleagues were in the clinic and I was afraid the fire could reach them. The fire crept up along the trees [by the clinic]. The electrical wiring also caught fire. It was a horrible scene.”
Staff said that the convoy attack on November 18 had occurred after they were turned away from a checkpoint near Wadi Gaza.
The team decided to head back to their office to shelter when they came under fire.
Another staff member who was part of the convoy said: “When we arrived at Al Wahida Street, I saw tanks and snipers at the top of the buildings.
“I was terrified when I saw that the snipers and the tanks were pointing their weapons at us, especially at the fourth and the fifth van [in the convoy].
“They started opening fire at us and when a bullet grazed my forehead, I got a superficial injury. The bullet hit my colleague Alaa in the head, he sat next to me.
“He got a critical head injury and started bleeding massively.”
Fighting has now resumed in Gaza following a week-long ceasefire, with attempts to prolong the pause failing on Friday evening.
