The deaths of at least 112 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza City on Thursday sparked widespread international condemnation on Friday, with witnesses and Gaza health officials saying they were caused by Israeli fire. Israel disputes this, saying dozens of people trampled on each other and were run over by fleeing aid trucks.

Gaza hospital officials initially reported Israeli attacks on crowds at the Nabsi traffic circle in western Gaza City. Witnesses later said Israeli troops opened fire as people pulled flour and canned goods from aid trucks.

Northern Gaza has received almost no aid in recent weeks and hunger is rampant. The United Nations warns that famine is imminent.

Initially, Israeli officials acknowledged that troops opened fire, saying they did so because they believed people rushing toward the rescue trucks “posed a threat.”

But in a video statement posted late Thursday on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, an IDF spokesman said troops only fired “a few warning shots” to disperse the crowd.

“The IDF did not launch an attack on the aid convoy,” spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, adding that Israeli tanks were present to secure the humanitarian corridor through which the 38-truck convoy passed.

The IDF also initially said “dozens of people were killed and injured as trucks pushed, trampled and crushed them”. Hagari agreed, saying “thousands” of Gazans descended on the aid convoy.

“Some people began to violently push and even trample other Gazans and loot humanitarian supplies,” Hagari said.

He said the aid would be distributed by private contractors and that the Israel Defense Forces had conducted similar rescue operations without incident over the past four nights.

“This latest incident requires a thorough investigation,” White House spokesperson Olivia Dalton told reporters aboard Air Force One traveling with President Joe Biden to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Dalton called the events in northern Gaza “very shocking and deeply concerning to us.” She said the loss of life was “very tragic”.

“We also believe that this incident highlights the need to expand humanitarian access to Gaza,” she added.

Biden predicted earlier this week that talks between the United States, Qatar and Egypt could lead to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas by Monday. But when reporters asked him after Thursday’s convoy incident if he still thought it was possible, he replied “probably not by Monday.” But he did not completely rule out the possibility, saying “hope is eternal.”

The White House said Biden had separate phone calls with the president of Egypt and the emir of Qatar, where they discussed civilian deaths and the urgency of completing hostage and ceasefire negotiations.

French President Macron posted on X to express his anger over the shooting and called for truth, justice and respect for international law.

EU President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply disturbed by the images coming out of Gaza” and posted on X that every effort must be made to investigate what happened.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who is attending a summit of Latin American and Caribbean countries in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, expressed his shock to reporters.

“I think situations like this require an effective independent investigation to find out how this happened and who was responsible,” he said.

The U.N. Security Council held an evening closed-door meeting in New York at the request of Algeria, the Arab Group’s representative on the 15-nation council.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour called the aid incident a “heinous massacre.” Iran, China and the Arab League also condemned the violence.

“Based on the information we have, dozens of people were shot in the head,” he said of those at the scene. “This is not like shooting into the air to restrain people during chaos and chaos. This is deliberately targeting and killing.”

The committee failed to agree to a press statement drafted by Algeria condemning the incident because it named Israel as the perpetrator and some diplomats said they were not yet aware of all the facts about the incident.

The latest violence brings the Palestinian death toll in the nearly five-month war to more than 30,000, with another 70,000 injured and many more missing under the rubble, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. .

Hamas launched terror attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250, about 100 of whom were released during a brief pause in November, triggering the Gaza war.

VOA’s United Nations correspondent Margaret Beshear contributed to this report. This report contains information from The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.