Israeli tactics target babies and pre-born infants – War on Gaza Day 659

Israel’s military said Saturday that it airdropped humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, as thousands of Palestinians face the threat of widespread famine.

“In accordance with the directives of the political echelon, the IDF recently carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip,” the military posted on Telegram.

The drop included seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food, it added.

UNRWA Commissioner Lazzarini stated, “Airdropping aid over Gaza does not solve the famine crisis, is not distributed fairly, and cannot be compared to the capacity of truckloads. It is merely an attempt to ease the conscience in the face of the starvation war that Israel is waging against civilians in Gaza.”

*NOTE: Aid airdrops are often small, with some consisting of just three tons of aid — far less than the average load of a single truck. Airdrops are exorbitantly expensive. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the principal U.N. agency for Palestinian affairs, described them as “a last-resort, extraordinarily expensive way of providing assistance.” Sean Carroll, president of the aid group Anera, placed the cost at six to more than 100 times more so than the cost per ton of aid delivered by truck.

“Deceptive Moves”: Hamas Rejects Israeli Aid Strategy, Urges End to Siege

The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to whitewash its image and deflect growing demands to end its starvation policy in the Gaza Strip. 

In a statement, the group said the humanitarian corridor and airdrops are nothing more than “starvation management” and will not resolve the ongoing hunger crisis, adding that the moves are aimed at improving Israel’s public image while continuing to enforce the starvation policy.

Hamas described the entry of food and medicine into Gaza as a “natural right and humanitarian necessity” to avert what it called a man-made catastrophe imposed by the “Nazi occupation.” 

Why a Famine Hasn’t Been Declared Yet – No Access

Despite the severity of the situation in Gaza, a formal famine declaration remains pending. According to Amande Bazerolle, MSF’s emergency response coordinator in Gaza, the surveys required to confirm famine conditions cannot be carried out. 

“Currently we are unable to conduct the surveys that would allow us to formally classify famine,” she said, citing security risks and lack of access to the most affected areas.

Nabil Tabbal, incident manager for the WHO’s emergency program, also pointed to “challenges regarding data, regarding access to information,” due to ongoing displacement and restrictions imposed by the Israeli military.