Israel to airdrop aid into Gaza
The Israeli military Saturday said it wants to start dropping aid supplies over the Gaza Strip again and also wants to enable the delivery of food and medicine by the United Nations via humanitarian corridors.
In addition, the military announced in the evening that there could also be renewed pauses in fighting in populated areas to enable aid deliveries.
The first airdrop of relief supplies was due to take place overnight, but it only involved seven pallets of relief supplies, including flour, sugar and tinned food.
The operation is to be carried out in coordination with international aid organizations, it said.
But volunteers point out that delivery by air is considered the most expensive and ineffective form of humanitarian aid delivery – also because it usually involves relatively small quantities.
Around 2 million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, most of whom are in urgent need of aid.
Despite fierce international criticism, Israel is currently allowing very little aid into the sealed-off coastal strip.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a deadly hunger crisis in the Gaza Strip. Numerous other aid organisations are also warning of this.
Israel denies the danger of a deadly hunger crisis and instead speaks of a Hamas campaign.
The Israeli military also said that a drinking water treatment plant in the Gaza Strip has been reconnected to the Israeli power grid.
At the same time, the army emphasized that fighting was continuing in order to free all hostages and defeat the Islamist Hamas.
