MSNBC’s Díaz-Balart Presses IDF Spox on Soldiers Opening Fire on Gazans: ‘That’s Not a Stampede Wound’
MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart pressed an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson on Friday over reports that Israeli soldiers opened fire on a crowd of Gazans awaiting aid.
More than 100 were killed and hundreds more injured, according to the Hamas-linked health ministry. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht claimed on Friday that Israel is taking the tragedy “very, very seriously” and that most of the deaths were caused by a stampede.
Asked if soldiers opened fire, Hecht said they did not “intentionally open fire,” but admitted that some shots were fired away from most of the crowd.
“We did not open fire on that crowd during that event. There was one specific event at the end of the convoy where our soldiers, some of the Gazans approached our soldiers and they felt threatened and they fired non-lethal shots,” he said.
Hecht also argued the death count should be taken with a “pinch of salt” as it comes from Hamas.
Díaz-Balart pressed the spokesperson for more details on the “non-lethal fire,” noting that several sources are claiming that civilians were being treated for gunshot wounds after the incident.
“What would qualify as non-lethal shots being fired?” the MSNBC host asked. “And I’m just thinking, if we take any of the evidence that seems to be being put forward by different, for example, video sources. We’re looking at that Al Jazeera video that says people were being taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. That’s not a stampede wound. That’s a gunshot wound. What exactly is non-lethal fire?”
Hecht argued the area is an active “combat zone” and said soldiers were trying to secure the trucks to move the aid to the north.
“Non-lethal fire is when we’re securing the convoy, people came too near our soldiers, they felt threatened. They would maybe take a non-lethal shot to try and distance them from them,” he said.
Hecht said the event is being investigated, but he rejected calls from the United Nations and France for an independent investigation.
“We do not need any other country to launch an investigation,” he said. “We have the means and the will to do it ourselves.”
Watch above via MSNBC.
