President Biden said on Friday that the US will start airdropping humanitarian assistance supplies into the region after scores of Palestinians were murdered by Israeli soldiers in the firing on an aid convoy in Gaza City.
Before meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Mr. Biden stated, “Innocent people got caught in a terrible war unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid in. And the United States will do more, and we need to do more.”
Data indicates that, despite warnings of starvation and demands from humanitarian groups for Israel and other parties to boost supplies to those stuck in the enclave, the number of relief trucks entering Gaza declined dramatically in February.
Israel Faces Pressure for More Supplies to Gaza, Explanation of Palestinian Deaths
Global leaders stepped up their pressure on Israel on Friday to increase the amount of supplies going into Gaza and to give more details on the several Palestinian deaths that occurred amid mayhem around a humanitarian convoy that Israel’s military was guarding.
The Israeli military and Gazan officials provided conflicting narratives of one of the biggest recorded tragedies involving civilians during the almost five-month conflict, leaving many unresolved concerns. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, supported the demands for a cease-fire that would enable the release of Israeli prisoners and increased humanitarian access into the region on Thursday. She also urged the Israeli military to “fully explain” the fatalities that occurred in northern Gaza.
Gaza Violence: Over 100 Killed in Israeli Crackdown
The catastrophe started on Thursday morning in Gaza City, as thousands of starving Palestinians congregated close to an Israeli military and tank convoy. It was a picture that was becoming more and more typical in Gaza, where starving Palestinians are constantly congregating around the meager number of relief trucks that are permitted entry into the region amid Israel’s battle against Hamas.
What followed is still unknown. According to Gaza’s health officials, Israeli forces opened fire on the gathering, resulting in what they called “a massacre” of more than 100 deaths and 700 injuries. According to an Israeli military spokeswoman, troops started shooting “when the mob moved in a manner which endangered them.”
Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesperson, told Britain’s Channel 4 that soldiers had been manning security for the convoy, which consisted of private cars transporting food supplies donated by foreign parties. As organizations like the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestinians, which is the primary organization delivering humanitarian supplies in Gaza, claim that the region has become too chaotic and lawless for them to operate in, particularly the north, Israel is facing increasing international pressure to allow more aid deliveries.
Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Samantha Power stated that it was obvious that individuals were murdered or injured while attempting to provide food for their families, no matter how they had passed away.
“That is not possible,” she declared. “We shouldn’t shoot at desperate citizens who are attempting to feed their families who are starving.”
UN Condemns Violence Against Reporters During Gaza War
On Thursday and Friday, almost sixty executives from both local and foreign media organizations signed a statement expressing their support for reporters covering the Gaza War and requesting their safety as well as the ability to carry out their jobs in the face of grave personal danger.
In addition to calling on Israeli authorities to protect journalists as noncombatants as required by international law, the letter which was coordinated by the Committee to Protect Journalists with assistance from the World Association of News Publishers also stated that those accountable for any violations of that protection should be held accountable.
On Friday, the European Union announced that it will allocate 50 million euros, or around $54 million, to UNRWA, the primary U.N. agency that helps Palestinians in Gaza, as part of a significant financial increase for the organization this year. The organization is struggling to survive after Israel claimed that certain employees of the agency took part in the assaults on October 7 that were organized by Hamas.
The president of the European Commission, which is the executive body of the union, Ursula von der Leyen, stated on Friday that “innocent Palestinians should not have to pay the price for the crimes of terrorist group Hamas.” “They live in appalling conditions, endangering their lives due to a lack of access to enough food and other necessities.”
