GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center) A child was martyred in the Gaza Strip on Friday as a result of aid being dropped from the air, adding to the growing number of victims from Israeli bombing and the ongoing starvation campaign.
Child Saeed Kamal Abu Yunis died in Khan Yunis when aid packages fell on him during an air drop, while another child was seriously injured in central Gaza after similar incidents.
The Civil Defense in Gaza warned that dropping aid from the air poses serious risks to civilians, especially in densely populated areas where heavy packages can cause injuries or death.
They also highlighted the dangers of stampedes as crowds gather at aid drop sites, urging international donors and humanitarian groups to use safe and coordinated methods, preferably through land crossings, to ensure aid reaches those in need without further loss of life.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reported four new deaths in the past 24 hours from starvation, with hospitals receiving nine more victims seeking aid.
The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Gaza saw its highest monthly rate of severe child malnutrition in July, with approximately 12,000 children under five affected. He called for uninterrupted aid delivery through all possible channels.
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s distribution sites as places of “systematic killings and insults to human dignity,” urging an immediate halt to their aid mechanisms and warning donors against supporting what they described as a “death trap.”
Between June 7 and July 24, the organization treated 1,380 wounded near these sites, including 28 fatalities.
At the same time, Israeli shelling continues unabated. Since dawn on Thursday, 43 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire, including civilians targeted in air and artillery strikes across Gaza City neighborhoods such as Al-Tuffah and Shuja’iya in addition to Khan Yunis City. Israeli drones also struck residential areas in Deir Al-Balah and the Nuseirat camp.
With US support, Israel has maintained a genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023, involving killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, disregarding international calls and rulings from the International Court of Justice to cease hostilities.
The casualties include over 61,000 Palestinians martyred, more than 152,000 wounded, and 9,000 missing while hundreds of thousands were displaced amid widespread famine claiming countless lives, including many children.
