Ahmed Hassan was standing in the Al Zawaida area of Gaza when boxes of food began dropping from the sky. As he watched, a crowd of people rushed toward them. Fighting erupted and shots rang out. There were no authorities to keep people safe or organize the distribution.
“People are very hungry, and everyone wanted to get something,” Mr. Hassan said. “There was shouting and fighting, and some people even took out weapons. If there was a responsible group to distribute the aid, things would be better. But the aid dropped randomly, and everyone tried to take what they could, even by force.”
As food and other essentials were parachuted into the coastal enclave for the second day by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, residents in Gaza described scenes of chaos and violence as people rushed to grab whatever supplies they could.
Two Israeli rights groups accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza
Israel over the weekend announced airdrops would be allowed, fighting would be paused during daylight hours in three areas and humanitarian corridors established so aid convoys could pass through, amid growing international outrage over desperate conditions in the Strip.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday that at least 14 people had died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours. The World Food Programme has stated that nearly 470,000 people in Gaza are enduring famine-like conditions.
Also Monday, COGAT, the Israeli military aid co-ordination agency, stated in a social-media post that over the previous few hours 20 aid packages with food for residents in southern and northern Gaza had been airdropped in co-ordination with the UAE and Jordan.
The World Food Programme told Reuters on Monday 60 trucks of aid had been dispatched to Gaza and the daily target was 100 trucks.
The United Nations and aid groups say the territory needs 500-600 trucks a day to meet its needs.
Aid was airdropped into Central Gaza on July 28, two days after Israel said that it began aid airdrops and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Reuters
Haya Khaled, a mother of four who lives in the Al Zawaida area, said she couldn’t get a box of food from the airdrop that took place near her.
“Some people controlled the place, and young men were selling small cans of meat for 60 dollars. How is this help?” she asked.
Other residents said they had been hopeful when the airdrops started because the additional aid might have helped alleviate their hunger. But hopes faded when the food landed in unsafe places or got lost. In many cases, the aid falls in empty fields or even into the sea.
“We heard that food was dropped, but it was late at night and we were too scared to go out,” said Reda Abdullah, who is living with her family in a tent near Palestine Stadium in northern Gaza. “We were afraid of bombing or attacks. People are now afraid of everything – even a box of food falling from the sky.”
Raneen Jouda, a widow and mother of two who lives in a tent in Al Zawaida in central Gaza, said she could not go out to get aid because the route was long and dangerous. After Israeli forces killed her husband, she is left to care for her children on her own, she said.
“I can’t leave my kids to go and look for food,” she said. “The road is too far and unsafe, and I might not find anything. We go to sleep hungry every night.”
Abu Youssef, who lives in Gaza City, said he grabbed a box when it fell near him, and before chaos broke out.
“I was standing nearby when we saw the boxes coming down. I ran quickly and was able to grab one,” he said. “It felt like an achievement. Many people couldn’t get anything. The situation is hard. The aid drops are random, and people are hungry. We all want food, but without any system, it’s hard for anyone to get a fair share.”
Two Israeli human rights organizations said on Monday Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the first major voices in Israeli society to level the strongest possible accusation against the state, which vehemently denies it.
Reuters
International aid organizations condemned the use of airdrops and are urging unimpeded access to supply aid to Gazans by land.
Jean Guy Vataux, emergency co-ordinator in Gaza for Médecins sans frontières (Doctors Without Borders), called the airdrops “a futile initiative that smacks of cynicism.”
He said that airdrops carry significantly less than the 20 tonnes that could be carried on a truck. The risk of injury was also high because two million people were trapped in a stretch of land that makes up just 12 per cent of the Gaza Strip.
“If anything lands in this area, people will inevitably be injured,” he said. “On the other hand, if the airdrops land in areas where Israel has issued displacement orders, people will be forced to enter militarized zones – once again risking their lives for food,” he added.
Israeli strikes or gunfire killed at least 78 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Monday, local health officials said.
In February, 2024, several countries including Jordan and France dropped supplies from the air. International aid leaders criticized the move at the time, calling it evidence of failure to get aid to people in need.
Opinion: The boost of aid in Gaza is not nearly enough
“This has already been tried a year ago and failed,” said Diana Sarosi, director of policy, campaigns and communications at Oxfam Canada. “It is dangerous and can in no way fulfill the massive need of the population. Canada should do everything in its power to end the blockade and to open up unimpeded access to humanitarian aid.”
Mr. Vataux said the infrastructure was in place to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. He said all that was needed was for Israeli officials to “decide to facilitate its arrival – expedite the clearance procedures, allow the entry of goods at scale, and co-ordinate to permit safe collection and delivery. Only then can we begin to resolve the starvation we are seeing.”
With reports from the Associated Press and Reuters