US pressing for answers on deadly Gaza aid incident

This image grab from a handout video released by the Israeli army on February 29, 2024, shows what the army says are Gazans around aid trucks in Gaza City. Israeli forces shot dead 104 people when a crowd rushed towards aid trucks on February 29, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said. Israeli sources confirmed that troops opened fire at Palestinians rushing toward aid trucks in Gaza, with one saying soldiers thought they “posed a threat” to troops. (Israeli Army / AFP)  

WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday asked Israel to provide answers and ensure safe aid delivery after dozens were killed in a scramble for food shipments in Gaza, calling the situation “desperate.”

“We are urgently seeking additional information on exactly what took place,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters as he offered condolences for those killed.

“We have been in touch with the Israeli government since early this morning and understand that an investigation is underway. We will be monitoring that investigation closely and pressing for answers,” he said.

He called on Israel to allow “as many points of access as possible, and to enable safe and secure distribution of that aid throughout Gaza.”

“We continue to make clear in all of our discussions with the government of Israel that all possible measures must be taken to allow the entry of more assistance into Gaza,” he said.

Miller said the rush for aid showed that the situation was “incredibly desperate” in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of the risk of famine.

“People are swarming these trucks because they’re hungry, because they need food, because they need medicine and other assistance,” he said.

He called for a deal on a ceasefire, after President Joe Biden warned earlier in the day that the killings would complicate negotiations.

Biden also spoke Thursday with the leaders of Egypt and Qatar in hopes of progress.

“The best way to alleviate the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people is to reach an agreement for a temporary ceasefire that would get hostages out, enable more aid to come in and allow that aid to move everywhere inside Gaza,” Miller said.