The United States is delivering aid to civilians trapped in Gaza via airdrop. This came following reports that aid convoys were attacked and drivers murdered by starving Gaza civilians. Here, the US Air Force dropped close to 40,000 humanitarian MREs to the population.
While air dropping makes it possible to drop large quantities of aid, the actual distribution remains unaccounted for. Mobs of individuals have been taking the aid, and one wonders if criminals rings are hoarding it. The NY Times reports:
The United States made its first airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Saturday, as the Biden administration tried to prevent a greater humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian territory.
Three U.S. Air Force cargo planes airdropped 38,000 ready-to-eat meals, in a joint operation with the Jordanian Air Force, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Saturday.
Famine is likely to strike Gaza soon if no aid is shipped. Residents have been scavenging food ordinarily used to feed animals. Hamas, who ordinarily provides law and order to its citizens, is in shambles which means chaos among Palestinians could break down. The Washington Post continues:
After nearly five months of war, Gazans have resorted to eating grain ordinarily used to feed livestock or plants they scavenge. Famine, U.N. officials warned on Monday, is “almost inevitable.” Twenty-four of the enclave’s 36 hospitals have been destroyed by Israeli bombardment, the World Health Organization reported Tuesday; those that remain are functioning only partially. The Israeli military campaign against Hamashas killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza, the health ministry there says.
Hamas and allied fighters who streamed out of Gaza early on Oct. 7 killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 253 more as hostages, Israeli officials say, triggering the current conflict. But the densely populated, impoverished territory relied on aid long before then. It’s been under strict blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas seized power in 2007.
While providing aid to the Palestinians might be the humane move to make, it will appear counterproductive as long as Israel continues its attack. Israel will not stop until all its hostages are released, and Hamas will likely not formally surrender until a political settlement to the Palestinian Question.
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