GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, March 30, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The Palestine 
Red Crescent said five people were killed and dozens wounded by gunfire and a 
stampede during an aid delivery Saturday in Gaza, where famine is looming.

AFP video footage shows a convoy of trucks moving quickly past burning debris 
near the distribution point in pre-dawn darkness as people shout and gunfire 
echoes -- some of which was warning shots, witnesses said.

The Red Crescent said it happened after thousands of people gathered for the 
arrival of around 15 trucks of flour and other food, which was supposed to be 
handed out at Gaza City's Kuwait roundabout, in the territory's north.

The roundabout has been the scene of several chaotic and deadly aid 
distribution incidents, including one on March 23 in which the Hamas-run 
government said 21 people were killed by Israeli fire -- a charge Israel 
denied.

The Red Crescent said three of the five killed early Saturday had been shot.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that Gazans overseeing the aid delivery shot in the 
air, but Israeli troops in the area also opened fire and some moving trucks 
hit people trying to get the food. 

AFP contacted the Israeli military for comment.

A UN-backed report warned on March 19 that half of Gazans are experiencing 
"catastrophic" hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the 
territory unless there is urgent intervention.

The report estimated that 1.1 million people -- half the population, 
according to UN data -- were facing catastrophic conditions.

The situation is particularly dire in the north of Gaza, where the United 
Nations says there are about 300,000 people -- and where the report said 
famine was "imminent... projected to occur anytime between mid-March and 
May".