DayofPal– The United Nations Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, Jean Givato, has strongly criticized the ongoing use of humanitarian airdrops into the besieged Gaza Strip, calling the practice a “futile and cynical gesture” in the face of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
In an urgent statement released Monday, Givato emphasized that what Gaza truly needs is the opening of land routes to allow for safe and large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid, not symbolic air deliveries that barely make a dent in the growing crisis.
“The roads exist, the trucks are ready, the food and medicine are available,” he said. “Everything is in place to deliver aid to Gaza, which lies just a few kilometers away. What we need is for the Israeli authorities to expedite clearance procedures, allow goods to enter, and coordinate their safe distribution.”
Givato warned that airdrops are not only inefficient but potentially dangerous. The amount of aid delivered by air, he noted, does not come close to matching what a single truck can carry, approximately 20 tons.
Moreover, when supplies are dropped into densely populated or evacuated areas, they pose a serious risk of injury or death to civilians trying to reach them.
“Two million people are trapped in just 12% of Gaza’s territory. If aid is dropped in that tiny area, people could be hurt. If it’s dropped in restricted zones, they’ll have to risk their lives to get it,” he cautioned.
Givato concluded his statement with a stark warning: the continued blockade and obstruction of land-based humanitarian deliveries is exacerbating the crisis and preventing any real effort to address the famine currently ravaging Gaza’s civilian population.
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for unfettered access to Gaza, where international monitors report soaring malnutrition rates and collapsing infrastructure amid Israel’s ongoing military operations and blockade.
Yesterday, Israel’s military body COGAT claimed 120 aid trucks entered Gaza, distributed by the UN and international organisations. However, Gaza residents said most of the trucks were looted by Israel-backed gang before reaching intended warehouses.
Activist Sami Mushtaha published a post, saying “We thought that hundreds of aid trucks would enter today and the famine crisis would end, but Israel and its allies insist on starving and humiliating the people of Gaza. Prepare yourselves to face the starved children before Allah, the Avenger, the Almighty.”
Activist Heba Hamdan commented “They bring in aid and send Abu Shabab militias to steal it, so they can say ‘We brought in aid, the problem is on your side.’ Damn you all, it’s a devilish plan.”
Journalist Youssef Fares said, “The result of 24 hours of propaganda and exaggeration about “breaking the famine” is nothing. 28 trucks entered and were looted before reaching the warehouses. It was just another day of daily starvation. Everything happened is false propaganda, deception, and exaggeration, a direct contribution to Netanyahu’s media campaign.”
Gaza’s Government Media Office warns of a catastrophic baby formula shortage, saying more than 40,000 infants below one year of age are at risk of a “slow death” due to Israel’s blockade.
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