Airdrops of Supplies as Last Attempt to Deliver Aids for Dying People in Northern Gaza

Author: Dian Kencana
March 7, 2024

Children in Gaza wait to collect food aid. Photo: UNRWA

SEAToday.com, Gaza-Hunger in northern Gaza has reached devastating levels, where children are dying of hunger-related diseases and suffering severe levels of malnutrition. That is why the airdrops of supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) are being utilized as a last attempt to reach desperate people in northern Gaza.

But, despite the extreme efforts undertaken to reach people in need, humanitarians are stressing that land routes are the only way to deliver the large quantities of aid needed to avert famine. Airdrops are largely viewed as an inefficient method for delivering aid compared to transport by roadway and are not an effective way of providing aid at scale.

“Airdrops are a last resort and will not avert famine. We need entry points to northern Gaza that will allow us to deliver enough food for half a million people in desperate need,” said Carl Skau, WFP’s Deputy Executive Director.

At least 576,000 people in Gaza, which is one-quarter of the population, are one step away from famine. In northern Gaza, 1 in 6 children under two years old is suffering from acute malnutrition and wasting.

Military operations, insecurity, and extensive restrictions on the entry and delivery of essential goods have decimated food production and agriculture. With people in Gaza unable to rely on markets and other usual sources of food, humanitarian assistance is now nearly the sole source of subsistence.

Unfortunately, the humanitarian community is facing overwhelming obstacles just to get the bare minimum to people in need. A ceasefire is urgently needed to enable an operation comprehensive enough to prevent famine. (DKD)