Colombia Suspends Arms Purchases From Israel After Gaza Aid Incident

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Thursday that Bogota suspends all arms purchases from Israel against the background of the deadly incident during an aid delivery to Gaza City.

On Thursday, Palestinian authorities accused Israel of striking a street in western Gaza City, saying that the shelling had left at least 112 people killed and 760 others injured. All the victims were awaiting the arrival of humanitarian aid, the Palestinian authorities added. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that a group of Gazans had allegedly tried to rob trucks with humanitarian aid in the northern part of the enclave, with the incident resulting in a stampede that left dozens of people dead and dozens of others injured.

"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has killed more than 100 Palestinians asking for food. This is called genocide and is reminiscent of the Holocaust, even if world powers do not want to recognize it. The world should block Netanyahu. Colombia suspends all arms purchases from Israel," the president said on X.

Following the incident, several countries, including Canada, France, Italy, Jordan, and Egypt, and international organizations, including Amnesty International, have called for unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and a ceasefire.

Gaza authorities accuse Israel of shooting at a crowd of local residents. The Israeli Defense Forces shifted the blame onto the Gazans.

Footage of hundreds of Gazans surrounding and allegedly looting humanitarian aid trucks has been released by the Israeli army.

Dozens of… pic.twitter.com/K2BTd8rgH5

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 29, 2024

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 30,000 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.