Eighteen Palestinians died while trying to recover airdropped food on Monday March 25, according to authorities in the Gaza Strip, led by Hamas. Twelve of them drowned off a beach in Gaza City after supplies fell into the sea, while six others were killed in stampedes. “When the parachutes fell into the sea, (…) young men and boys waded into the water to retrieve boxes”a witness told AFP. “Unfortunately, some of them never came back.”
Following this tragedy, the Islamist organization called on Tuesday to stop airdropping packages. She says she has “always warned countries conducting airdrop operations of the danger”notably “because part of this aid falls into the sea.” Already at the beginning of March, several packages with faulty parachutes hit residents of Gaza City, killing five and injuring 10. These operations are carried out by several Arab and Western countries in order to circumvent the blockade of the territory by Israel, which complicates the entry of trucks into the enclave. But several NGOs denounce a method that is both unsuitable and insufficient while the UN fears widespread famine. Franceinfo summarizes this debate for you.
It can be dangerous for the population
The air drop was used for the first time by the United Nations in 1973 in the western Sahel, where the population was suffering from famine, recalls the World Food Program (WFP). Subsequently, several countries delivered aid by this means, during the war in Iraq (2003-2011) or even in South Sudan (2013-2020).
Preparing for a drop is precise and complex. Each package must be packaged securely so that its contents survive landing. The drop can be carried out at altitudes ranging from 300 to 5,600 meters, explains the WFP – in conflict zones for example, the aircraft must fly high enough not to risk being hit by artillery on the ground. The weather is also scrutinized, as strong winds or sandstorms can affect the accuracy of the airdrop. “A primary concern is the safety of recipients”Jeremy Anderson, lieutenant colonel of the American Air Force, explained to AFP. “We make sure that if the parachute does not open, it ends up at sea and therefore does not hurt anyone.”
But despite these precautions, package drops are not “not without risks”, alerted franceinfo Lucile Marbeau, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in France. On March 8, at least five people were killed during a package drop in which one of the parachutes was visibly defective. A video authenticated by the New York Times also showed other packages without parachutes. Other images show supplies washing up at sea. “Dropping must be a last resort,” points to franceinfo Jonathan Fowler, spokesperson for UNWRA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. “It is useful in inaccessible areas. But in Gaza it could be different, because land routes exist,” reminds the humanitarian to franceinfo.
It creates “chaos” situations
Another consequence: the violence that these drops generate, in a context of extreme tension. “Every day, people are injured and even killed. Everyone is struggling to get basic goods like flour, canned goods, water, lentils, beans, chickpeas and halva.”described Ahmed al-Rifi, a resident of Gaza City, to AFP. “Everyone is hungry, it’s chaos to get food. Sometimes there are shootings, injuries and murders”testifies the Gazans.
Ouday Nasser, another resident contacted by AFP, describes scenes of disorder: “When we reach the drop zone, a large crowd gathers, this leads to fights, chaos. Some fall to the ground in the stampede, the stronger prevail over the weaker. Sometimes some use a knife, or even shoot.”
“What should have been a humanitarian effort turned into fights and beatings.”
Ouday Nasser, resident of the Gaza Stripto AFP
“People are so hungry that they are willing to take any risk for food,” deplores Jonathan Fowler of UNWRA. “Airdrops increase these risks, because people are completely desperate.” The spokesperson recalls that “the situation is so dire” in the Palestinian territory that there is no authority to organize the reception of these airdrops, nor to verify that the most needy people have access to them. “They are the strongest, the young men, those who need it the least”, who benefit from it, described to France 2 Jamie McGoldrick, humanitarian coordinator at the UN. Most of the time, “the population runs towards the packages and the first come, the first served. They eat the food immediately”, continues Jonathan Fowler.
It cannot be enough to meet the needs of the Palestinians
According to the UN, most of the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip are threatened by famine. Faced with this catastrophe, airdrops are not enough. For example, on Monday, an American plane transported 46,000 military rations, according to the American army. His destination was the north of the Gaza Strip, where 300,000 people remain, and where the UNWRA says it is prohibited from entering. Since the start of these operations, the Israeli Civil Administration in the Palestinian Territories has recorded 44 airdrops.
“We need 500 aid trucks per day to meet the needs of the population”, insists Jonathan Fowler, the number of vehicles which entered the Gaza Strip daily before October 7, according to the UN. But today, “the average number of trucks arriving each day is 155 vehicles”, he alerts. This method of delivery is however much more efficient:
“The storage capacity of an airplane is much less than that of a truck.”
Jonathan Fowler, UNWRA spokespersonto AFP
Most of the food dropped is “ready to eat”, recalls Jonathan Fowler. These could be military rations, canned tuna, protein bars, etc. “They help fight hunger, sure, but not if you have to share your portion with several people,” he points. Mahmoud Shalabi, program director of the NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians, deplores to CNN the dropping of products that need to be reheated in the microwave while“there is no electricity” in the northern town of the enclave where it is located. According to this Palestinian official, most of the packages only contain food for two or three meals.
It costs more than convoys by land
According to the WFP, chartering a plane rather than a truck to deliver aid also costs seven times more. The plane notably requires more personnel and fuel, describes Jonathan Fowler. A White House spokesman, John Kirby, acknowledged that the airdrops were “a complement, not a replacement” of humanitarian aid transported by road, reports the American agency AP.
Faced with this observation, calls are increasing for Israel to open more road crossing points. “The airdrops are symbolic”Dave Harden, former director of the United States Agency for International Development in the West Bank, told Al Jazeera. “In reality, what is needed is more passages [ouverts] and more trucks traveling there every day.” Currently, only two crossing points into the Gaza Strip are open, from Egypt at Rafah, and from Israel at Kerem Shalom. All trucks must first be checked by the Israeli army. A process that involves days of waiting.
“Opening land routes is the only solution to meet the immense needs.”
Jonathan Fowler, UNRWA spokespersonat franceinfo
The drops, “this looks like an easy temporary measure… But it is not the solution”, critic for AFP Shira Efron, researcher at the American think tank Israel Policy Forum. For her, “It’s also a way for countries to show that they are doing something.”