NEW YORK,(Palestine Foundation Information Center) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), affirmed Saturday that airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza are an ineffective and dangerous distraction from the urgent need to lift the siege and open land crossings.
“Airdrops to Gaza are just a distraction and a smokescreen,” Lazzarini said in a press statement, warning that such operations “will not stop the worsening famine” in the besieged Strip.
He stressed that they are costly, inefficient, and can even kill civilians, urging instead for land-based aid delivery, which he described as “easier, more effective, faster, safer, and more dignified for the people of Gaza.”
He revealed that 6,000 aid trucks loaded with desperately needed supplies are currently waiting in Jordan and Egypt, ready to enter Gaza as soon as permission is granted. Lazzarini called for an immediate lifting of the siege, opening of all crossings, and allowing UN agencies and humanitarian partners to operate freely within the Strip.
The remarks came amid growing discussions of aerial aid efforts. An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that Tel Aviv would allow foreign countries to drop aid by air in the coming days, naming Jordan and the UAE as participants. However, many Palestinian factions and international humanitarian organizations have criticized the plan, insisting that airdrops are not a substitute for sustained aid access through land routes.
Past airdrops authorized by Israel have proven both dangerous and tragic, with dozens of Palestinians killed after aid packages fell on them or landed in unsafe areas.
Earlier on Saturday, Gaza’s Government Media Office warned of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, with more than 100,000 children, including 40,000 infants, facing life-threatening hunger due to the blockade.
The total death toll from starvation and malnutrition has now reached 122, including 83 children and is expected to rise sharply as the siege and closure of crossings persist.
Meanwhile, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations issued urgent warnings that therapeutic food for severely malnourished children is about to run out, endangering the lives of thousands of the most vulnerable.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war on Gaza, characterized by mass killings, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, all carried out with full US support and in defiance of international law and rulings from the International Court of Justice.
