[IMPORTANT] Hamas launches foot assault against settlements.

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At least 17 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in Israeli air strikes targeting three houses in Deir el-Balah and Jabalia.

A United Nations team has found many injured in Thursday’s Israeli attack on Palestinians awaiting food aid have gunshot wounds. The director of al-Awda Hospital says 80 percent of the wounded brought to the hospital had been shot.

The bodies of three more Palestinians killed in the food aid “massacre” have been recovered, bringing the overall death toll to 115, with some 760 wounded.

Seven Israeli captives have been killed as a result of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, according to Hamas’s Qassam Brigades.

At least 30,320 people have been killed and 71,533 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.

So,, please correct me , if I am reading these things right from above ? The Palestinians getting food etc. relief are being shot and shot at ? And further above elsewhere in these threads on this topic . The US is providing food and supply drops to the Gaza people ? So , if I am interpeting this as it appears ..? the US is providing aide to draw out Palestinians to get get sustenance, And the IDF is using the opportunity to shoot Paletinians .???. Uhm ...then
the USA is helping Israel to get Palestinians to a place , where they can go to get food .And they are being shot by our Israeli ally .? Kinda like helping Israel to swat down Palestinians , if they want to eat .. This is something you do to get rid of mice and cockroaches ?....So now US aide is being used to help kill Palestinians? Seems alittle upside down
this humanitarian aide stuff to me .

The U.S. completed its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza this morning, with three military C-130 planes dropping 66 pallets containing 38,000 meals, officials told NBC News. Aid organizations say that airdrops fall far short of meeting the desperate need for food and supplies in the enclave, where many of the 2.2 million people are facing starvation.

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.

Israel has essentially accepted the proposed framework of a Gaza cease-fire if Hamas agrees to release sick, elderly and women hostages, according to a U.S. senior administration official Saturday. The current deal would be more complicated than the earlier cease-fires due to its length, but the six-week deal “has the potential to extend from there.”

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.

Some Palestinians injured in a Gaza aid delivery disaster said on Friday that Israeli forces shot them as they rushed to get food for their families, describing a scene of terror and chaos.

Health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said 115 people were killed in the incident in Gaza City early Thursday, attributing the deaths to Israeli gunfire and calling it a massacre.

Israel has disputed those figures, indicating casualties were in the dozens, and saying most victims were trampled or run over in the chaos, as crowds swarmed the delivery trucks.

Four witnesses, who spoke at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in a video obtained by Reuters, said they were fired upon by Israeli forces, some describing tanks and armed drones being involved.

Mahmoud Ahmad said he began waiting on Wednesday evening for the convoy that eventually arrived early Thursday morning, saying hunger forced him to take the risk of going to the delivery route in hopes of getting flour for his children.

As the aid trucks came into northern Gaza he went towards them but, he said, a tank and a “quadcopter” drone began to fire. “I was injured in my back. I was bleeding for an hour until one of my relatives came and took me to hospital,” he said.

“When the aid entered, the tank and quadcopter started firing at the people gathered, the people who went to get food for themselves and their children. They started shooting at them,” he said.

Jihad Mohammed said he was waiting at Nabulsi roundabout on the Al-Rashid coast road, the main delivery route into northern Gaza from the south.

“We went and waited for the trucks and then there was firing at all the people and then I was injured,” he said.

Asked if he believed Israeli forces had fired on them deliberately, he said “Yes, that’s right. They used tanks, soldiers, aircraft… all were firing towards us.”

Mahmoud Ahmad said he began waiting on Wednesday evening for the convoy that eventually arrived early Thursday morning, saying hunger forced him to take the risk of going to the delivery route in hopes of getting flour for his children.

As the aid trucks came into northern Gaza he went towards them but, he said, a tank and a “quadcopter” drone began to fire. “I was injured in my back. I was bleeding for an hour until one of my relatives came and took me to hospital,” he said.

“When the aid entered, the tank and quadcopter started firing at the people gathered, the people who went to get food for themselves and their children. They started shooting at them,” he said.

Jihad Mohammed said he was waiting at Nabulsi roundabout on the Al-Rashid coast road, the main delivery route into northern Gaza from the south.

“We went and waited for the trucks and then there was firing at all the people and then I was injured,” he said.

Asked if he believed Israeli forces had fired on them deliberately, he said “Yes, that’s right. They used tanks, soldiers, aircraft… all were firing towards us.”

Sami Mohammed was at the Al-Rashid road with his son waiting for the aid convoy to arrive. “My son ran to the beach and they shot him twice… one grazed his head and the other hit his chest,” he said. He said bullets and shells were fired.

The boy was lying in a hospital bed with bandages on his chest and arm and a cut on his face.

Abdallah Juha said he went to try to get a sack of flour for his parents. “We are very hungry. We don’t have food or anything. They fired at us… they squashed us,” he said, adding that the fire came from tanks.

Juha, who had a bandage on his face, was injured in the head by a bullet. “My little brother cries because he wants to eat. Where should I get him food?” he said.

The New York Times on Friday also quoted eyewitnesses claiming that Israeli tanks and other forces fired at people trying to get supplies from the convoy.

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said the IDF “did not fire on those seeking aid, despite the accusations.”

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said a UN team visited Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Friday to deliver medical supplies and met people injured in the incident.

“By the time of the team’s visit, the hospital had also received the bodies of more than 70 people who had been killed,” it said.

I think a conservative stance is to wish that October 7th hadn't happened. Never have I seen a more perfect example of "free to act, but not free from the consequences of actions."

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet tomorrow with Benny Gantz, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war Cabinet, according to White House officials, as the U.S. continues to push Israel for a cease-fire agreement.

Hamas officials arrived in Cairo today for talks on a cease-fire and hostage deal, the framework for which Israel agreed to in Paris in late February. An Israeli official told NBC News that there was intense U.S. pressure on all sides to reach an agreement by the start of Ramadan, on March 10.

Israel has essentially accepted the proposed framework of a Gaza cease-fire if Hamas agrees to release sick, elderly and female hostages, a U.S. senior administration official said yesterday. The current deal would be more complicated than the earlier cease-fire because of its length, but the six-week deal “has the potential to extend from there.”

At least 10 children, and most likely more, have died from malnutrition and dehydration, UNICEF said in a statement today: “The child deaths we feared are here.”

The U.S. completed its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza yesterday, delivering 66 pallets containing 38,000 meals. The Israeli military welcomed the drop, saying it “makes the fighting possible.” Aid organizations criticized the tactic as “absolutely incomprehensible” and “completely insufficient” for the needs of 2.2 million Gazans, many of whom face starvation.

Rescuers continue to recover bodies from Nabulsi roundabout in Gaza City, where more than 100 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire near a crowd of Palestinians hoping to get food. The Israel Defense Forces both confirmed and denied shooting into the crowd and blamed most of the deaths on a stampede.

Aid agencies and health workers said “a large number” of the dead and injured from the aid convoy violence had gunshot wounds.

6-month-old twins killed in Rafah strike that killed 14 family members
Wisam and Naim Abu Anza, 6 months old, spent the majority of their short lives in Gaza under siege.

The twins were killed in an airstrike in Rafah, along with their father and a grandfather. Their mother, Rania Abu Anza, held their bodies and refused to be separated from them as she spoke to an NBC News crew.

"Who is going to call me Mama?" she said. "After all this ... who is going to call me Mama?"

Abu Anza stroked her daughter's face and kissed her temple before she called them "habibti," the Arabic term of endearment often translated to "my love" or "my dear."

According to Reuters, the twins were the youngest of 14 family members killed in the strike. Abu Anza told the outlet she was asleep when the strike hit the Rafah home where they were staying and preparing for Ramadan next week.

Vice President Kamala Harris says there must be 'an immediate cease-fire'
Vice President Kamala Harris called for “an immediate cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in a speech at an event to commemorate the 59th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama.

Harris referred to current negotiations for a hostage deal in her comment that there must be a cease-fire for "at least six weeks, which is what is currently on the table." Her remarks were met with excitement and applause.

“This would allow us to build something more enduring to ensure Israel is secure and to respect the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom and self-determination,” she said.

IDF: 'Number of launches' from Lebanon toward northern Israel
The IDF reported a "number of launches" from Lebanon toward northern Israel in the areas of Metula, Ghajar and Malkia throughout the day today.

The IDF also said fighter jets struck a "Hezbollah military compound and terrorist infrastructure" in the area of Ayta ash Shab, as well as additional Hezbollah military infrastructure in Kfarkela.

Under constant criticism by cabinet ministers of their prosecution of the war, top IDF officials and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have revealed that multiple cabinet members were against a deep invasion of Gaza back in October.

In fact, according to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Gallant, and other top IDF officials, without their strident push for a deep invasion of Gaza, the current war might have seen a much more limited incursion into Gaza, as with many past more limited rounds.

Some top officials have even implied that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in October was privately waffling on the risks of a deep invasion even as in public he constantly trumpeted destroying Hamas.

The drama heated up on Monday with a Channel 12 report that Halevi finally confronted some of the critical ministers with what he viewed as their hypocrisy for being initially too afraid to invade and then later questioning why the invasion had not been larger and faster.

As the war has dragged on, Halevi has, in closed meetings, further lost patience with cabinet members who he views as not being serious about security issues, but rather being more focused on their political exposure or opportunities.

Limiting interactions with Ben-Gvir
Likewise, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has started to reduce its interactions with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after perceiving him as being verbally abusive of their officials as well as there being allegations that one of his staffers has leaked security information.

Based on the Israelis actions " and" Hamas , their should be a international effort to completely disarm these people
for their own good, " not that would fix anything because of their leaders," but less people would die if they had no weapons . Take away their toys, until they play nice... Its so much like children ,whom became adults but never
had a chance to develop correctly . but this is a simply opinion , a simple fix.
Is it too far of an adult idea , to consider these people that promote these actions as Nutters . It is not logical to put deadly weapons in the hands of Nutters .

Because historically the world is SOOOOO good about protecting the Jews. I don't comment much anymore, but I'd bet you'd be jumping for joy if Israel was disarmed and Iran wiped them off the planet.

It's only politically correct to jump up and down for joy over the Palestinian people being wiped off the planet.
They obviously deserve it because they keep resisting being displaced.

I distinctly remember saying I wish October 7th hadn't happened at all. So, I'm not wishing anyone died. I stand by my original claim that the UN was created to prevent things like the Holocaust from ever happening again AND the UN supported Israel being where they are.

President Joe Biden is trying to ramp up political pressure on Israel’s government to allow in more humanitarian aid and rein in its offensive in the Gaza Strip but has stopped short of cutting off weapons deliveries to America’s main ally in the Middle East, current and former officials say.

Reluctant to enter into a full-blown confrontation with Israel, the Biden administration instead has airdropped humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and held talks in Washington with a political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz. It has also stepped up public criticism of Israel’s tactics in Gaza — though, as NBC News has reported, apparently not as much as Vice President Kamala Harris would like.

Dismayed at the plight of Palestinian civilians and with no letup in the Israeli campaign, the White House National Security Council asked the Pentagon in recent weeks for possible options to get more aid into Gaza by air, land and sea, two administration officials told NBC News.

Based on the Pentagon’s advice, the president opted for airdrops of aid, and U.S. aircraft over the weekend began dropping pallets of food and other supplies on parachutes just off Gaza’s coast. On Tuesday, three U.S. Air Force planes dropped 60 bundles with 36,000 meals, accompanied by four Royal Jordanian Air Force planes that dropped additional supplies, a U.S. official said, and more deliveries are expected.

The administration’s “soft power” approach emphasizing humanitarian relief is shaped by both the domestic political pressure Biden is under at home to help stop the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as well as a pragmatic belief that focusing on aid is the president’s best option while delicate negotiations continue to secure a six-week cease-fire deal, current and former officials said.

The U.S. military has carried out airdrops in other conflicts over the decades, helping Kurds facing attacks from Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, Bosnian Muslims besieged by Serb forces in eastern Bosnia, and civilians under assault by Islamic State group militants in Iraq and Syria. But the airdrops over Gaza were unusual, with the U.S. launching the operation to assist civilians affected by a military offensive carried out by an ally armed by Washington.

Harris delivered blunt criticism of Israel on Sunday, marking the latest in a series of critical comments from the White House over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza. NBC News reported that the original draft of her speech contained much harsher language before it was softened by the White House National Security Council. Yet her public condemnation was still notable, and it foreshadowed what will likely be more criticism from the president in his State of the Union address later this week.

"People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane, and our common humanity compels us to act,” Harris said at an event marking the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Alabama. “The Israeli government must do more to significantly increase the flow of aid. No excuses.”

A maritime corridor?
Apart from more airdrops, the administration is looking at other options to move more food and aid into Gaza, including possibly building a floating dock or makeshift causeway off the coast of the enclave to enable ships to deliver humanitarian supplies, a U.S. official said. Such an undertaking likely would require other countries or international agencies to secure the area and ferry aid to shore, as the administration has ruled out any presence of American troops in Gaza.

Expanding humanitarian access to Gaza will be at the top of the agenda when Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Gantz on Tuesday, with the secretary planning to appeal for the opening of the key Erez crossing, Miller said.

The distribution of aid within Gaza, especially in the enclave’s north, continues to pose a challenge after civilians were killed as they rushed an aid convoy. The U.S. has told Israel that the security situation must be addressed and Palestinian civilians cannot be allowed to starve.

Opening the door to Netanyahu’s rival
Some administration officials say the Israeli government is starting to listen to the administration’s view that the way the war is unfolding is damaging for Israel over the long term.

Israeli officials say they remain grateful for the support of U.S. officials as they continue to try to destroy Hamas. Privately some of them have said they are worried by the criticism from the Biden administration.

“The Americans are not being very nice to us,” a senior Israeli government official said.

Many Democrats in Congress and foreign governments say the administration needs to bring more pressure to bear on Israel. They argue that only a threat to cut off military aid or to withdraw diplomatic support for Israel at the United Nations will persuade Netanyahu to scale back the offensive in Gaza and open up access for humanitarian convoys.

“What remains is we’ve got a profound contradiction that we have to face directly: We have a situation where the U.S. is airdropping aid on day one, and Israel is dropping bombs on day two,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told NBC News. “And the American taxpayer is paying for the aid and the bombs.”

Welch added that “essentially what you’ve got is the prime minister (of Israel) asking us for money and rejecting our advice.”

Another senator from Biden’s party, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said there was a growing risk that Israel’s and America’s national interests were diverging, unless Netanyahu shifted course.

Murphy said, “There has to be a rapid serious change in direction of Israel’s policy, or our national security interest and Benjamin Netanyahu’s interests are going to clearly be in fundamentally different places.”

Although it has refrained from issuing ultimatums to Israel, the Biden administration on Monday welcomed to Washington a member of Netanyahu’s war Cabinet, Gantz, a centrist seen as the prime minister’s main political opponent. Opinion polls show Gantz’s National Unity party gaining ground against the prime minister’s Likud party.

A Netanyahu ally, Dudi Amsalem, a minister from the Likud party, slammed Gantz for traveling to Washington.

Writing on the social media platform X, he said Americans likely view Gantz as the person “to lead the process of a Palestinian state and the cessation of fighting in Gaza.” He added: “You entered the emergency government to create a consensus during wartime ... not to stop the [Israel Defense Forces] from winning the war.”

But the administration sees maintaining a channel with Gantz as a way of possibly shaping Israel’s decision-making and keeping options open for the future, former officials said.

“We have been dealing with all members of the war Cabinet, including Mr. Gantz,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said. “We see this as a natural outgrowth of those discussions. We’re not going to turn away that sort of opportunity.”

The State Department said Monday that the U.S. continues to supply weapons to Israel because the Hamas leaders behind the Oct. 7 terror attacks, the worst in Israel’s history, are still at large.

“They would relaunch the attacks of Oct. 7, today, tomorrow if they had the capability to do so,” Miller, the State Department spokesperson, told reporters. “So we support Israel’s legitimate military campaign consistent with international humanitarian law.”

Aiming for a cease-fire deal
Despite the mounting friction with Netanyahu, Biden remains an ardent supporter of Israel, shaped by his long career in the Senate and his emotional connection to the Jewish state and its history, former officials and analysts say.

But Biden’s team also is wary of providing any ammunition to Republicans or pro-Israel hawks that the president has in any way abandoned Israel.

Most importantly, the administration believes that withholding military aid could prove counterproductive as the main objective now is to clinch a six-week cease-fire deal designed to stop the fighting and secure the release of dozens of hostages still held by Hamas, according to Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank.

“The main reason in my view is Biden understands he needs to make a difference, not a point,” Miller said. “And the difference is this: Without an Israel-Hamas cease-fire — which would allow surging humanitarian aid into Gaza; a suspension of Israeli military activities; the release of the women, the elderly and the sick hostages — you might as well hang the ‘closed for the season’ sign on American policy. This is the only way to even begin to start to de-escalate.”