Gaza aid convoy deaths threaten cease-fire talks

The WHO on Friday warned that the health system in Gaza is "more than on its knees."

This came a day after over 100 people were killed in Gaza as a desperate crowd gathered for aid amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in the enclave. Gaza officials say that Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, while the Israeli military blamed most of the deaths on a stampede and the general mayhem in the area.

The aid convoy deaths occurred the same day it was reported that the death toll from the war in Gaza surpassed 30,000. It also happened as concerns mount over the humanitarian situation in the territory, with children dying from hunger and hundreds of thousands of people reportedly on the brink of famine.

The incident is threatening to derail cease-fire talks. With global scrutiny of the Israel-Hamas war rising, the US — Israel’s top ally — is desperate to reach an agreement for a temporary pause to the fighting.

But when asked Thursday whether the deaths would complicate efforts to secure a truce, President Joe Bidensaid, “I know it will.” Just days earlier, Biden expressed optimism that a deal was imminent.

UN chief António Guterres on Thursday called for an independent inquiry into the aid convoy fatalities, which was echoed by France, Italy and Germany on Friday.