The White House said that President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Israel today in connection with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, will inspect tomorrow, together with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the food distribution process in the Palestinian territory, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
At least 91 Palestinians have been killed and more than 600 injured in the past 24 hours while trying to receive humanitarian aid, the Gaza Health Ministry said today. This includes 54 people who died while waiting for food in the area of the northern Zikim checkpoint. Many of the wounded and the bodies of those killed on the spot were taken to isolated and poorly equipped medical facilities, which have not yet provided updated information. The death toll is therefore expected to rise.
The Israeli army said that Palestinians surrounded the aid trucks and that its soldiers fired warning shots into the crowd. The army statement did not report any casualties.
A security official said that the shots came from the direction of the crowd and that the shooting was triggered by an argument between Palestinians trying to get help.
The city of Zawiya in central Gaza again witnessed scenes of desperation and chaos on Sunday as scores of Palestinians rushed towards food packages dropped from the air. Aid workers have begun using air bridges as Gaza's border crossings remain closed, the AP notes. However, the airdrop of aid causes riots and clashes among the hungry crowds.