Israeli army says it allowed limited aid airdrop into Gaza amid genocide

JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

The Israeli army alleged Saturday that it allowed a limited aid airdrop into the war-torn Gaza Strip.

It comes amid growing regional and international pressure on Tel Aviv to allow aid into the enclave because of the worsening famine in Gaza and warnings of a mass death that is threatening more than 100,000 children.

The Israeli army said it would “resume the aerial airdrops of humanitarian aid, as part of ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid to Gaza,” in what appears to be an attempt to deflect from allegations that it is deliberately starving Palestinians in the enclave.

The army noted that the airdrop “will include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food to be provided by international organizations.”

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency for Palestine, or UNRWA, said Gaza requires between 500 and 600 aid trucks daily, managed by the UN, to meet the minimum humanitarian needs.

Earlier Saturday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the idea of airdropping aid into Gaza as a “distraction” and a “smokescreen” to divert attention from the true scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.

The Israeli army claimed it launched a series of measures “to improve the humanitarian response” in Gaza.

It also announced its intention to “open humanitarian corridors” to facilitate UN and relief organizations’ convoys, claiming a readiness for “humanitarian pauses” in densely populated areas.

The army also affirmed that military operations in Gaza “have not ceased,” vowing to continue “fighting to return all hostages and defeat Hamas.”

Since May 27, Israel has launched a separate aid distribution initiative through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), bypassing the UN and international humanitarian agencies. The move has been widely rejected by the global relief community. The GHF is supported by the US.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to open fire on Palestinians gathered near distribution centers, killing hundreds of aid seekers.

Gaza’s hunger crisis has spiraled into a humanitarian catastrophe. Harrowing footage shows severely emaciated residents, some reduced to skin and bone, collapsing from exhaustion, dehydration and prolonged starvation.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday that five more Palestinians, including two children, have died from hunger and malnutrition in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll since October 2023 to 127, including 85 children.

On Tuesday, the World Food Program warned that one in every three people in Gaza had gone without food for several days due to the Israeli blockade.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 59,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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