The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said Saturday that the renewed airdrops of humanitarian aid over Gaza are an “ineffective” measure in the face of the humanitarian catastrophe devastating the Palestinian territory.
“Airdrops will not stop the deepening famine. They are expensive, ineffective, and can even kill starving civilians,” Lazzarini wrote on X. He heads the agency, which plays a major role in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, an Israeli official told AFP that humanitarian airdrops would soon resume in Gaza, with the United Arab Emirates and Jordan coordinating the operations.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated further, with international organizations warning of a sharp rise in child malnutrition.
“A man-made famine can only be resolved through political will,” Lazzarini said.
Without directly blaming Israel, he called for the United Nations to be allowed to operate “at scale and without obstacles” in Gaza.
Israel is facing increasing international pressure over the dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory. In late May, it slightly eased a total blockade that had been imposed in early March, which had caused severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential goods.
In a statement released Friday, the Israeli army said that “Israel does not limit the number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip,” and claimed that “international humanitarian organizations and United Nations agencies” are failing to collect aid once it enters the territory. However, numerous humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza have for months reported facing constraints and restrictions that effectively prevent them from responding to the humanitarian crisis — including limitations on the types of goods allowed in and burdensome administrative requirements.
Yet, according to NGOs and many testimonies collected by AFP on the ground, the needs in Gaza are overwhelming.
COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said Saturday that 600 truckloads of aid were waiting to be offloaded by international organizations.
The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, France, and other countries had taken part in airdrops of humanitarian aid over Gaza in 2024.
These operations have at times been criticized — not only due to deaths caused by falling packages, but also because they require complex logistics to deliver a limited volume of aid.
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