The Israeli military said on Saturday that it has launched humanitarian airdrops into Gaza on Saturday amid U.N. warnings that such measures cannot reverse the war-raged Palestinian enclave's worsening famine.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement released on Saturday night that the coordinated effort involves multiple international aid organizations, with plans to establish humanitarian corridors for ground transport of food and medicine.
The military also pledged temporary pauses in operations near densely populated areas to facilitate relief distribution.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), dismissed airdrops as an ineffective solution.
This costly, inefficient method risks endangering civilians, he said, noting that some desperate residents have been injured while scrambling for supplies. Lazzarini pointed out that land routes remain the only viable way to deliver aid at the required scale.
In another urgent statement released by Gaza's health authorities on Saturday, hospitals in Gaza recorded five deaths due to famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours.
According to the statement, since early March of this year, the total number of deaths in the Gaza Strip due to famine and malnutrition, caused by Israel's blockade, has risen to 127, including 85 children.
Israel begins Gaza aid airdrops as UN warns of starvation crisis
Israel begins Gaza aid airdrops as UN warns of starvation crisis
Israel begins Gaza aid airdrops as UN warns of starvation crisis
