First food aid into Gaza spirals into chaos

Four Palestinians died on Wednesday after hundreds stormed a United Nations food warehouse in Gaza, according to a report by the Associated Press, citing hospital officials. Those deaths came one day after thousands of Palestinians broke through fences around an aid distribution site outside Rafah in southern Gaza on Tuesday. Shots were fired and one Palestinian died while 48 were injured, the Associated Press reported, citing the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots in the area outside the center, according to the Associated Press.

The chaotic scene unfolded on the second day of food distribution after a roughly three-month Israeli blockade. A U.S. and Israeli-backed group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, distributed the aid with support from private military contractors. The Israeli military said it built the distribution area. Israeli forces are also stationed at the perimeter of the area, following the plan announced by U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday characterized the handouts as Israel taking control of food distribution, according to Reuters.

What did the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation say about the incident? The aid group denied that any injuries or casualties had occurred on Tuesday in a statement to the Jewish News Syndicate, referring to reports to the contrary as misinformation. Aid was flowing without incident on Wednesday at two different sites, with a total of 840,262 meals handed out since Monday, it said. The foundation also said its personnel intentionally relaxed security protocols to manage the crowd.

The foundation’s executive director, Jake Wood, resigned suddenly on Sunday, saying the aid plan wasn’t in line with humanitarian values. He urged Israel to expand distribution parameters, according to Israeli Ynet News.

Did the United States comment on the aid distribution? At a Tuesday State Department press briefing, a reporter asked department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce if the distribution center was built in southern Gaza to force Palestinians to leave northern areas, in line with Israeli plans. Bruce said that the aid distribution was not a State Department effort and she couldn’t comment on the foundation’s goals.

What else is new in the Israel-Hamas war? Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel had eliminated Mohammad Sinwar, the brother of deceased Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar. Mohammad was Hamas’ Gaza chief and likely died in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month, according to Reuters.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on Israel’s extensive ground operations in Gaza.