Organization of Islamic Cooperation says Israeli targeting Palestinians waiting for aid delivery 'deliberate act of genocide'

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday condemned the Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians while waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait Roundabout area in southern Gaza City, resulting in multiple casualties.

The OIC described it as "a deliberate act of genocide that warrants investigation and accountability."

The pan-Muslim organization reiterated its demand for the UN Security Council to urgently take "a decisive resolution to halt the Israeli ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip and to ensure the sufficient and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to all parts of the strip."

The Health Ministry in Gaza said Thursday that 20 Palestinians were killed and 161 injured when the Israeli army opened fire on residents waiting for humanitarian aid at the Kuwait Roundabout.

The army, however, said it is investigating the shooting but claimed its soldiers did not shoot toward the aid convoy.

Israel has waged a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7. The offensive has killed more than 31,000 victims and injured over 73,000 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar