Israel Intensely Bombards Gaza Amid Chaos Surrounding Aid Handouts

Israel bombarded Gaza again on Thursday and local health officials said more than 60 people had been killed over the past day, as hungry Palestinians scrambled for food handouts under a new Israeli-backed aid operation that has been heavily criticized.

The United Nations says the new aid system is insufficient to meet basic needs for survival. In a reflection of the chaotic atmosphere surrounding aid distribution and the desperation of much of the population, a large crowd of hungry people broke into a Gaza warehouse run by the U.N.’s World Food Program on Wednesday in search of food.

Images from the scene showed large crowds of Palestinians converging on the warehouse and removing sacks of looted flour. The W.F.P. said in a statement that initial reports indicated that two people had been killed and several were injured.

Against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis and mounting international pressure to end the devastating 19-month war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas were considering on Thursday a new version of a cease-fire proposal formulated by President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

The full details of the new proposal are still unclear.

But both Israel and Hamas have said they are willing to accept at least some of the terms in it, including the release of 10 living hostages held by Hamas and the remains of others who died in captivity in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody.

An Israeli official familiar with the details of the new proposal said the initial phase of the deal would provide for a 60-day cease-fire and a flow of aid through U.N.-run operations. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the sensitive negotiations.