August 7, 2025 | 12:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Authorities in Gaza have called for an immediate halt to humanitarian aid airdrops, warning that the practice is worsening the situation on the ground and leading to more deaths.
"Air-dropping humanitarian aid increases the number of casualties due to overcrowding and fierce competition over limited supplies. In some cases, people have even died," Gaza’s Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday, as quoted by Sputnik and Antara.
The ministry also noted that some aid containers have landed on homes and refugee tents, injuring and killing civilians, including women and children.
With food shortages reaching critical levels, the air delivery of aid has sparked panic and violence, leading to more harm than good, the ministry said. Gaza authorities emphasized that only the opening of land borders would allow aid to reach those in need safely and effectively.
"The only way to stop this humanitarian disaster is to fully open all land crossings and ensure a steady flow of food and supplies into Gaza," they stated.
International aid groups have also raised doubts about the effectiveness of airdropped assistance, saying it has become largely symbolic and fails to meet the massive needs on the ground.
The volume of aid dropped is minimal compared to the scale of the crisis, and organizations like the United Nations have repeatedly warned of its dangers.
Last year, several people were killed during a similar aid drop operation. Meanwhile, trucks loaded with thousands of tons of relief supplies remain stuck at the Israeli border.
“It would be a matter of seconds for the Israeli army to allow that passage,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said last month, as quoted by the Belgian News Agency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a sharp rise in deaths from malnutrition in Gaza on July 23. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 10 percent of the population is suffering from acute malnutrition, and more than 20 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women are severely affected.
He warned that the risk of famine is growing as aid deliveries are cut off and access remains restricted.
On July 26, Israel authorized the resumption of foreign airdrops of humanitarian aid. The Israeli military controls the distribution of aid in Gaza through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a body supported by the United States. GHF’s distribution is mostly limited to southern Gaza.
Despite these efforts, reports confirmed by the United Nations say that Israeli forces continue to fire on Palestinian civilians waiting in line for food.
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