Yahoo News 
Gaza aid convoy shooting: Israeli and Palestinian officials offer differing accounts on incident that left more than 100 dead
President Biden announced Friday that the United States will begin air-dropping humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave.
Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians near a convoy of aid trucks in Gaza City on Thursday, killing scores of people and injuring hundreds of others as the civilian death toll there continues to climb.
The incident drew conflicting accounts from Palestinian and Israeli officials and could complicate talks for a temporary ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, now approaching its fifth month.
🔎 What happened
In a statement, the Gazan health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said that at least 112 people were killed and more than 200 others injured by Israeli forces who witnesses said fired at residents as they waited for food and supplies from the convoy.
Israeli military officials said that its troops encountered a stampede as they tried to secure the road and fired warning shots before shooting “only in face of danger when the mob moved in a manner which endangered them.”
"We didn’t open fire on those seeking aid," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military's chief spokesman. "Contrary to the accusations, we didn’t open fire on a humanitarian aid convoy, not from the air and not from land.''
The Israeli military released edited video footage taken by a drone showing a crowd of people climbing on top of aid trucks before the gunfire erupted.
🚨 A humanitarian crisis
Conditions are increasingly dire in Gaza, where one-quarter of its 2.3 million people face starvation, according to the United Nations.
Last week, the World Food Program said it was forced to pause deliveries to northern Gaza because it has become too dangerous to safely transport food there.
“The decision to pause deliveries to the north of the Gaza Strip has not been taken lightly, as we know it means the situation there will deteriorate further and more people risk dying of hunger,” the U.N.-backed group said.
President Biden announced Friday that the United States will begin air-dropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza in the coming days.
"Innocent people got caught in a terrible war unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid," Biden said from the Oval Office. "But we need to do more, and the United States will do more."
He added: “Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough. Now, it’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line and children’s lives are on the line. We won’t stand by until we get more aid in there. We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.”
➡️ Where do the ceasefire talks stand?
The deadly shooting in Gaza comes amid talks between Israel and Hamas and their Mideast and Western counterparts over the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire.
Biden, who had earlier expressed hope for an agreement by the end of the upcoming weekend, told reporters Thursday that the bloodshed would complicate negotiations.
“I know it will,” Biden said.
🇵🇸 A mounting civilian death toll
International pressure has been mounting on Israel to agree to a ceasefire as the death toll rises.
On the same day of the aid convoy shooting, the Hamas-run health ministry said the death toll in Gaza surpassed 30,000, with two-thirds of that figure being women and children.
