Gaza’s civilians are at risk of severe famine. Dropping aid from airplanes won’t solve the problem.
Airdrops of aid led to a tragic outcome yesterday in Gaza.
According to health authorities controlled by the extremist group Hamas, 12 people drowned when they tried to retrieve aid packages dropped into the sea in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.
In addition, six people were trampled to death as the desperate crowd rushed for aid.
The video obtained by the Reuters news agency shows a crowd rushing towards large aid packages falling into the Mediterranean Sea on parachutes.
There are waves in the sea as young boys and men wade and swim after the packages that have fallen into the sea.
Gazan: This is the wrong way to do it
A Reuters video shows a drowned person being dragged from the sea. The second man is being revived with beach sand. The main image of this story is part of the Reuters video.
– In terms of grants, one of the biggest mistakes is that they are dropped into the sea. As a result, people drown. Grants could be transported by land. Airdrops could also be made in wide open places. The authorities should control the aid packages dropped from the planes and distribute them to the people, says an anonymous man who watched the situation on the beach to Reuters.
Also another man interviewed by Reuters, Abu Mohammed demanded the opening of land borders for aid transport.
– This is humiliating. I’m sorry, but this is the wrong way to go about it.
Mohammed said little aid has reached northern Gaza.
– The families have received approximately three kilos of flour per week. That’s better than running after planes and getting nothing.
The United States announced that it would continue airdrops of aid
According to the paper obtained by Reuters, the aid packages were dropped from the US transport plane.
After the accident, Hamas demanded the immediate suspension of aid airdrops. According to the extremist organization, airdrops are useless and dangerous.
However, the United States announced that it would continue airdropping aid. It also said it was working to get aid trucks to Gaza.
Aid drops from airplanes have caused several accidents in Gaza. Earlier this month five people died and ten were injured when the parachutes failed to open.
In addition to the United States, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, France and Germany have also dropped aid from airplanes to northern Gaza.
Airdrops do not replace aid trucks
Among other things, the UN children’s organization Unicef has said that air or sea transportation of aid will not replace the urgently needed ground transportation to Gaza via Egypt and Israel. The UN has long warned of a famine threatening Gaza.
There is a serious shortage of food and relief supplies in Gaza. According to UNRWA, the aid organization for Palestinian refugees under the UN, only about 150 aid trucks a day reach Gaza at the moment, while before the war there were about 500 of them going to Gaza a day.
Sea transport of aid to Gaza is just in its infancy. The first aid ship from Cyprus arrived in Gaza in mid-March. The US plans to build a floating dock in Gaza to receive aid shipments.
Israel is threatening to attack Rafah in the southern part of Gaza, where about one and a half million internally displaced people from Gaza are packed. The UN Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in a resolution it adopted on Monday.
The war in Gaza continues for the sixth month.
Israel attacked Gaza after Hamas, the extremist organization that ruled Gaza, attacked Israel on October 7. Hamas and the smaller terrorist groups that support it killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
According to the Ministry of Health under Hamas, Israel has killed more than 32,000 people in the Gaza war.