By Sam Doak, OSINT producer, and Ben van der Merwe, digital investigations journalist
Israel and the US have defended a new system for distributing aid in the Gaza Strip, despite renewed criticism from the UN and chaotic scenes at an aid hub during its first day of operation.
A fortified compound from which US mercenaries were handing out parcels of aid was stormed by hundreds of Palestinians on Tuesday just hours after opening for the first time.
Later that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “there was some loss of control momentarily” at the distribution point, adding that “happily, we brought it under control”.
Sky News has reviewed satellite imagery, spoken to an eyewitness and analysed footage posted on social media to understand what happened.
How the incident unfolded
The compound, construction of which began in mid-April, is the size of around three football pitches.
It has an entrance in the south for the mercenaries and an entrance and exit in the north for Palestinians (separated by a central reservation).
The entrance pathway is around 10m (33ft) wide and is divided into five lanes by fences.
The fences do not appear to be fixed to concrete foundations, making them relatively flimsy. There is no fence around the compound as a whole – instead, it is defended only by scalable sand berms.
At first, aid distribution proceeded as planned. Palestinians queued outside the compound and, once inside, lined up to collect aid packages from staff in blue vests.
But video showed fencing was already starting to sag beneath the weight of the crowd…
You can watch a Sky News special programme on the conflict in Gaza on TV and mobile, at 9pm UK time, on Thursday.
