Rights Groups Are Condemning Aid Airdrops Into Gaza As Humiliating And "Humanitarian Theater”
Humanitarian groups have criticized airdrops as insufficient, costly, inefficient and dangerous, saying it’s a "smokescreen" or "humanitarian theater."
As part of its “tactical pause” that began on Monday, July 28, Israel allowed humanitarian aid airdrops on Gaza to facilitate aid delivery.
Israel said that during the pause, when it will halt in its military operations in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza city from 10am to 8pm local time, it will establish designated secure routes to allow the UN and humanitarian organizations to safely deliver food, medicine and other essential supplies, as well as allow humanitarian aid to enter through land crossings and air drops.
Jordan, in coordination with the UAE, then conducted three airdrops, delivering a total of 25 tons of humanitarian aid over Gaza and sent a convoy of 60 trucks of aid.
However, humanitarian groups have criticized airdrops as insufficient, costly, inefficient and dangerous, saying it’s a "smokescreen" or "humanitarian theater."
The Gaza media office said that the three airdrops from Jordan and the UAE don’t even equal two trucks of aid and that they were dropped in dangerous fighting areas, preventing people from reaching them.
Some aid packages also landed dangerously close to or even on the tents of displaced people, injuring at least 11 people, leading Palestinians to call them “humiliation airdrops”.
Earlier in March 2024, an airdropped aid package crashed into a building while falling from the sky, damaging homes and injuring people on the ground.
In another incident, 12 people died after they drowned trying to reach airdropped aid packages that landed in the sea.
Hamas condemned the airdrops and limited corridors as symbolic moves that do not address the root causes of the crisis and continue to endanger civilians.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) global initiative has issued a warning saying that the "worst-case scenario of famine” is now unfolding in Gaza as Israel's genocide has now killed more than 60,034 people.
At least 147 people, including 88 children, have been killed due to malnutrition in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
Cherry Mohamed
Cherry Mohamed
