The United States “will continue” to drop humanitarian aid into Gaza, a White House National Security Council spokesman said today. as Hamas calls for an end to these operations following the drowning of Palestinians trying to collect humanitarian aid from the sea or the repeated fatal trampling to reach that aid.

“Aid airdrops are one of the many ways we use to deliver the aid so desperately needed by the Palestinians in Gaza and we will continue to do so,” while also “working tirelessly to increase the arrival of humanitarian aid from land,” the spokesman said.

The White House is also working to create a sea corridor to increase the inflow of aid, he recalled.

The Palestinian Islamic Movement announced today that 18 people were killed, of which 12 from drowning in their attempt to collect air-dropped food on the war-torn, famine-stricken terrain.

“Let me be absolutely clear: it was Hamas that started the war and that refused to accept a deal to release the hostages, which would have made it possible to increase humanitarian aid,” the spokesman pointed out.