100 reported dead during Gaza aid delivery; Israel blames 'looting residents'

The Israeli Defense Force has blamed "a violent gathering of Gazan residents" for the deaths of dozens of people waiting for aid near Gaza City. The IDF said the casualties resulted from a stampede among those queuing for aid, refuting the Palestinian Authority's accusation that they were fired on by Israeli troops. 

Health authorities in Gaza said on Thursday (February 29) that Israeli fire had killed more than 100 and wounded 760.

Initially a spokesperson for Israel's military said it had no knowledge of any shelling at that location. It then released a statement saying: "During the early morning delivery of humanitarian aid trucks to the northern Gaza Strip, a violent gathering of Gazan residents developed around the trucks, who looted the equipment that arrived. During the gathering, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of being crushed and trampled. The details of the event are under review."

Images emerged online purporting to show aid trucks and donkey carts converted into makeshift ambulances as witnesses rushed to get the wounded to hospital.

Gaza's health ministry reported that shelling targeting the cities of Bureij, Khan Younis, and Nuseirat saw an additional 30 deaths, bringing Thursday morning's death toll to at least 107.

The toll in Gaza has now reached 30,035 according to the Gaza health ministry.

With much of Gaza's infrastructure substantially damaged in the conflict, more and more Gazans are becoming reliant on food aid for survival.

The United Nations reports that 576,000 Gazans are just "one step away from famine." 

Jordan and France have undertaken a campaign to supply food aid to the people of Gaza via airdrops, with the United States expressing interest in joining their efforts, however locals and monitors on the ground have reported Israeli aggression and violence at aid drop sites.

Gaza's health ministry reported that six children have died due to starvation and dehydration and that seven others remain in critical condition due to the shortages seen across the area.

With shortages in food supplies, residents of Rafah have reported spiraling prices amid the lack of availability and the city's skyrocketing population.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have been displaced to the southern city, where a one kilogram bag of sugar reportedly now sells for $20. With median salaries in Gaza reportedly nearing $340 before the conflict, fears of price gouging have added to the difficulties experienced by residents.

With the collapse in policing across the enclave, masked volunteers have reportedly began enforcing set prices for products in what shops remain open in Rafah.

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