On February 29, 2024, Israeli forces opened fire on on thousands of Palestinians who had gathered in an open area of Gaza City hoping to receive food, according to witnesses and medics. At least 110 Palestinians were killed and more than 700 were injured. Israel claims that its troops only fired when they felt endangered by the crowd.
Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007. Since launching its assault on Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attack, Israel has barred entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies, except for a trickle of aid entering the south from Egypt. Aid workers reported that delivering supplies to Gaza is difficult due to lengthy inspections, rejected humanitarian aid and Israeli forces firing on UN trucks.
More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began; two thirds of the dead are women and children.
Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, has charged that Israeli policy is “aimed at pushing Palestinians to leave Gaza under the continued bombing and siege.”