NAIROBI, Saturday, March 2, 2024 (WAFA) - African Union chief Moussa Faki said today the Israeli occupation was "mass killing Palestinians" and urged an international probe after dozens of starving Palestinians were killed by the occupation forces while waiting for an aid convoy in war-torn Gaza.

Faki "strongly condemns an attack by Israeli forces, that killed and wounded more than 100 Palestinians seeking life-saving humanitarian aid," the bloc said in a statement dated Friday but posted on X on Saturday.

"The Chairperson calls for an international investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to account," the statement said, urging "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire".

On Thursday morning, Israeli tanks opened fire as Palestinian civilians scrambled for food supplies at the Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City, resulting in more than 100 Palestinians killed.

The killings came after a World Food Programme official had warned: "If nothing changes, a famine is imminent in northern Gaza."

World leaders have called for an investigation, with U.S. President Biden saying that the United States would start delivering relief supplies into Gaza via air drops -- as some of its allies have already -- in a bid to get aid into hard-to-reach areas.

M.N