Israel says it has dropped aid into Gaza
Israel’s military says it has « recently » made an airdrop of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, following weeks of international pressure and a growing hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory.
In its statement, the IDF said the airdrop « was carried out in co-ordination with international organisations and led by Cogat », referring to the Israeli military body which oversees the entry of aid into Gaza.
There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses have told the BBC most have been shot by Israeli forces. Israel has said that its troops fire warning shots and has disputed reported death tolls. It accuses Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid points.
The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, said air drops were « expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians » if they did not go according to plan.
One man living in the north of the strip told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Daily that the process was « unsafe » and « caused numerous tragedies » when similar relief efforts were attempted last year.