UN chief calls for investigation into 'mass casualty' Gaza aid incident | BBC News

The UN has called for an independent investigation after the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said people being treated at a US-backed aid site in Gaza reported being shot at by the Israeli military. A "mass casualty influx" of people, many with gunshot or shrapnel wounds, was received at a Red Cross field hospital in southern Gaza, the organisation said, following disputed reports about an incident near an aid distribution centre in Rafah. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 21 people were "declared dead upon arrival" while women and children were among 179 cases. The organisation's statement came after the Hamas-run civil defence agency in Gaza said at least 31 people were killed and many more wounded in the incident, which it blamed on "Israeli gunfire" targeting civilians. But the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said findings from an initial inquiry showed its forces had not fired at people while they were near or within the aid centre.