Palestinians collect airdropped aid packages in central Gaza Strip on August 9, 2025. Photo: AP.
Gaza’s Government Media Office reported on Saturday, August 9, that deadly aid airdrops are compounding a man-made famine under siege, with 23 killed and 124 injured since the start of the war.
Officials say “most airdrops fall in areas under Israeli occupation or in forcibly evacuated neighborhoods, exposing those who approach them to direct targeting,” and recall that “last year, aid packages fell into the sea, drowning 13 Palestinians, while other drops landed among crowds, making them both ineffective and dangerous for the starving population.”
They urge “for the safe, adequate delivery of aid through land crossings, particularly food, baby formula, medicines, and medical supplies,” and accuse “Israel” of “engineering starvation and chaos,” holding “Israel, the US administration, participating countries in the genocide, and the international community fully responsible,” while demanding “urgent action to open crossings and ensure unrestricted aid flow.”
Famine deepens
This comes amid mounting evidence that airdrops are dangerous and inadequate: documented incidents include deaths when parachutes failed, drownings after pallets fell at sea, and casualties at drop sites, events widely criticized by humanitarian experts as PR over substance.
Another tragedy in Gaza: An airdrop box, struck a starving child on the head, killing him instantly.
pic.twitter.com/wAwemAB85B— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) August 9, 2025
UN agencies warn Gaza now exceeds famine thresholds on key indicators. The IPC’s May-Sept 2025 analysis finds the entire population in acute food insecurity, with around half a million facing starvation; UNICEF and WFP report soaring child wasting as nutrition services collapse; WHO notes a sharp rise in malnutrition-related deaths.
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Siege tactics
Access constraints remain the core problem. Despite limited cargo collections via Zikim and Kerem Shalom, overall movements are tightly restricted and frequently denied or disrupted, while people have been shot or killed trying to reach aid. Humanitarians stress that only sustained land access can meet needs at scale.
Observers continue to warn that starvation is being used as leverage, and international actors enabling the siege share responsibility until crossings are fully opened and protected for continuous relief operations. Recent moves to expand military control over Gaza City have drawn global condemnation and warnings that civilian suffering will deepen without an immediate ceasefire and unfettered aid.