Israel blamed most of the deaths on crowds that gathered around aid trucks, saying the victims were trampled or trampled. An Israeli official also said that forces later opened fire “in a limited response” to crowds they felt posed a threat.
With people eating animal feed and even aloe vera to survive, and with first responders saying children are dying in hospitals from malnutrition and dehydration, the United Nations said it faces “enormous obstacles” in getting aid.
David Deptula, a retired three-star US Air Force general who commanded the no-fly zone over northern Iraq, said airdrops are something the US military can implement effectively.
“This is appropriate for their mission,” Deptula told Reuters.
We can cry for the children of Gaza and the Israeli victims of Hamas.credit: GT
“There are a lot of detailed challenges. But nothing that can't be overcome.”
However, questions remain about the effectiveness of airdrops into Gaza.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the airdrops would have only a limited impact on the suffering of Gaza residents.
“It does not deal with the root cause,” the official said, adding that only open land borders could deal with the issue in a serious manner.
Another issue, the official added, is that the United States cannot guarantee that aid will not simply end up in the hands of Hamas, given that the United States does not have troops on the ground.
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“Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a poor way to deliver aid,” said Richard Gowan, director of the UN International Crisis Group. Joan said the only way to get enough aid is through aid convoys that will follow the truce.
“It can be said that the situation in Gaza is now so bad that any additional supplies will at least alleviate some of the suffering. But this is at best a temporary emergency measure,” Guan added.
Under pressure at home and abroad, another US official said the Biden administration is considering the possibility of shipping aid by sea from Cyprus, about 210 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea.
At the White House, Kirby acknowledged that airdrops into Gaza were “extremely difficult” due to the population density and ongoing conflict.
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For months, the United States has been calling on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, something Israel has resisted.
Kirby noted that Israel attempted to airdrop supplies into Gaza and that it was supportive of the American airdrop.
An Israeli official in Washington said: “We are aware of the humanitarian airdrop.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not answer a question about whether the United States had previously requested Israeli approval for the airdrops or was coordinating efforts with it.
Biden's announcement of new aid to Gaza was marred by gaffes, as he twice confused the issue with Ukraine.
The United Nations delivered aid to the besieged northern Gaza Strip for the first time in more than a week on Friday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. The United Nations delivered medicines, vaccines and fuel to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The World Food Program said 10 days ago that it had temporarily suspended the delivery of food aid to northern Gaza until conditions in the Palestinian Strip allow it to be distributed safely.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday that during February, an average of nearly 97 trucks were able to enter Gaza per day, compared to about 150 trucks per day in January, adding: “ The number of trucks entering Gaza is still far below the target of 500 per day.”
