Israel to open Gaza humanitarian corridors
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Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed more than 50 Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including some who were waiting overnight for aid, according to local health officials, continuing a pattern that has drawn international criticism as the country’s “drip-feeding of aid” into the enclave continues to claim lives.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says the air drops "might help" but notes that the "most vulnerable" in Gaza would still struggle to access essential supplies.
Israel has long restricted aid to Gaza on the argument that Hamas steals it to use as a weapon of control over the population. On Saturday, the Israeli military announced new airdrops of aid.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is calling for Israel’s control of aid distribution to be replaced amid reports of mass starvation in Gaza.
Israel’s military took journalists on Thursday to the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing to show what they claim is humanitarian aid awaiting collection.
Plus: Hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks trying to reach food, mostly in mass shootings by Israeli soldiers.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has demanded that Israel provide evidence for its accusations that staff with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs were affiliated with Palestinian militants Hamas,
Gazans are in desperate need of essentials after more than 21 months of war, but efforts to get aid into the Palestinian territory - and to its hungry residents - face major obstacles.