Israel opens fire on Gazans seeking food aid to avoid starvation, claim locals

GAZA, PALESTINE - FEBRUARY 28: Israel opened fire on desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip seeking food aid to avoid starvation, locals claimed on Wednesday, Feb. 28. While Israel has been preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza through the long-standing blockade it has implemented, a small quantity of flour was delivered to a location near the city center in the early morning by a team of humanitarian aid workers. Thousands of Palestinians gathered in the area to receive the aid. As several carried sacks of flour that were within their reach, some individuals resorted to picking up the flour scattered on the ground in desperation. Meanwhile, a Palestinian who had been shot in the darkness was discovered lying on the ground, covered in blood, with a sack of flour beside him. Local people said that Israeli soldiers near the area frequently open fire on large groups of Palestinians. Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7. At least 29,954 Palestinians have since been killed and over 70,300 others injured, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. (Footage by Nooh M.m. Alshaghnoubi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)