5 Palestinians killed in Gaza airdrop accident; US denies involvement
At least five people were killed and 10 others injured after a humanitarian aid airdrop malfunctioned in Gaza, according to reports. The parachute carrying the aid failed to open, causing the package to crash into a house, AFP reported. Countries like the United States (US) and Jordan have been conducting airdrops in northern Gaza, where residents face extreme hardship due to over five months of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Why does this story matter?
Last week, US President Joe Biden announced that the US military would airdrop food and other supplies into Gaza to address the humanitarian crisis and potential famine in Gaza. This came after at least 112 people were killed and 760 injured in Gaza while waiting for aid when Israeli forces fired upon the crowd. Hamas condemned the incident as an "ugly massacre," while Israel said victims were either trampled or run over by aid trucks.
Eyewitness account of airdrop accident
The airdrop accident took place at the Al-Shati refugee camp in the north of Gaza. Mohammed al-Ghoul, an eyewitness, told AFP that during the airdrop, people were running to receive food when a parachute failed to open, and the package plummeted like a rocket on the roof of one of the houses. "Ten minutes later I saw people transferring three martyrs and others injured, who were staying on the roof of the house where the aid packages fell," he said.
US, Jordan deny responsibility for fatal airdrop
After the incident, a US defense official denied responsibility, stating that their airdrop did not cause the fatalities. The US Central Command expressed condolences to the victims' families but clarified that the incident was not a result of their actions. Similarly, the Jordanian military denied involvement, asserting that none of their aircraft were responsible for the technical defect that caused some parachutes not to open.
Hamas-run Gaza calls airdrops 'futile'
Hamas-run Gaza's government media office criticized the airdrops, calling them "futile" and "not the best way for aid to enter." The United Nations (UN) also emphasized that airdrops and proposed maritime aid corridors cannot replace land deliveries, urging more trucks to be allowed through border crossings. Due to challenges in distributing aid via ground routes, countries like the US have turned to airdropping assistance and planning maritime deliveries.
US military plans temporary port off Gaza's coast
To address the growing need for aid in Gaza, Biden announced plans to establish a temporary port off Gaza's coast to deliver more assistance. As part of this effort, a US military cargo plane airdropped over 11,500 meals to Gaza on Friday, marking Washington's fourth joint operation with Jordan this month. However, the number of people in need of aid in Gaza far exceeds what can be provided by airdrops alone.
Know about Israel-Hamas war
Israel has been at war with Hamas in Gaza since the terrorist group conducted a cross-border raid on October 7 last year, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 253. In response, Israel has killed around 31,000 Palestinians during the conflict, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had killed over 13,000 terrorists in Gaza, in addition to around 1,000 who were killed within Israel on and immediately following October 7.
