What we knowThe U.S. will airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza, as the population faces famine and delivery by trucks continue to be severely hampered by hostilities. The U.S. called it "a tough military mission" as it flies planes over an active warzone. Aid organizations say that airdrops fall far short of meeting the desperate needs for food and supplies in the enclave.The deadly violence surrounding an aid convoy in Gaza City — in which more than 100 people were killed after Israeli forces were accused of opening fire on a crowd of Palestinians hoping to get food — has inflamed global calls for an immediate cease-fire, including from France and Germany.In the wake of the outrage, U.S. officials scrambled to salvage ongoing cease-fire negotiations, with President Joe Biden saying he remains hopeful that a deal will be reached before Ramadan.A group of staffers from the Biden administration issued a statement to NBC News, denouncing his subdued response to what they characterized as "a ‘Hunger Games’ style massacre." Aid agencies and health workers said "a large number" of the dead and injured taken to hospitals following the violence had gunshot wounds. Yesterday, an IDF spokesman denied that soldiers had shot into the crowd, after the IDF had initially confirmed that its forces used live fire. The spokesperson blamed most of the deaths on a stampede.The spike in deaths following the attack pushed the toll in Gaza past 30,200 amid surging fears of starvation in the north of the territory. More than 70,300 have been injured, and thousands more are missing and presumed dead. Israeli military officials said at least 242 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion of Gaza began.
