Donatella Rovera, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, says Israel, as the occupying power, is obliged under international law to cater to the needs of the population it occupies, Al Jazeera reports.

She stressed that Israel controls what goes into Gaza by way of food, medical supplies and humanitarian aid.

“Those restrictions have increased exponentially since October 7,” Rovera told Al Jazeera, pointing to the Israeli blockade of Gaza since 2007.

“There is concrete evidence that contradicts whatever statements are being made by the Israeli authorities” on the killing of 117 Palestinians while collecting food aid on February 29, she said.

Israel on Sunday denied its military was responsible for the deaths, which triggered global condemnation and calls for an independent inquiry.

The purported finding is against the video evidence, witness accounts and accounts of the Palestinian officials, who said the victims were attacked by Israeli troops while waiting for food aid southwest of Gaza City.

UN officials said on Saturday that many of those wounded near the aid convoy sustained bullet injuries.

Rovera also reminded that the Israeli authorities prevent human rights officers and journalists from entering Gaza to carry out independent investigations.