Israel ready to limit military operations for humanitarian aid • US conducts first food drops over Gaza

US Air Force cargo planes dropped food on Gaza on Saturday. The C130s had 66 trays on board, with a total of 38,000 dishes. The bundles were parachuted into the area.

The US government said the flights were to be the first of a mission to fight famine in the enclave. It works closely with Jordan, which also organizes food drops. A US spokesman said it was a safe way to deliver aid to people on the ground. Other countries, including the Netherlands, have previously dropped aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.

So far, emergency supplies have been entering the Gaza Strip only at a slow pace, through Kerem Shalom, the only border with Egypt, Rafah and Israel. Israel is carrying out extra stringent checks on convoys as it seeks to prevent arms smuggling in the region.

At least 115 Palestinians were killed when a mob attacked a convoy of trucks on Thursday. According to eyewitnesses, an unknown number of them were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire because they felt threatened. Others died in the panic of the crowds gathered around the trucks and the firing.

Of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the enclave, a quarter are severely malnourished, according to the United Nations. People's Organization officials say airdrops are not an efficient means of getting aid to starving Palestinians.

Peter von Ammelrooy

The correspondent writes that the French government and the UN have demanded an investigation into the bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy in Gaza on Thursday. Jenne John Holtland