Air-dropped aid over Gaza, meant to ease famine, has instead killed and injured civilians, fuelling anger among the starving population. Young resident Adi Nahid Al-Qarraan, who called the drops “humiliating” and questioned their effectiveness, died last week after being struck by a falling aid box. Local officials say at least 25 people have died from such incidents since October 2023, with many more injured, as boxes crash onto tents and desperate crowds scramble in dangerous chaos.

Humanitarian workers and residents are urging for safer, more dignified aid delivery methods. The UN and WHO warn that airdrops are costly, inefficient, and insufficient compared to land deliveries, which could bring in hundreds of aid trucks daily. Families like that of widow Sanaa Ahmed stress that food must reach people without risking their lives, particularly women and children already traumatised by war and famine.

With Gaza’s two million residents enduring extreme hunger and malnutrition, experts fear that the reliance on risky airdrops will only deepen the humanitarian crisis. Without the urgent reopening of land crossings and the restoration of sustained aid flows, the tragedy will continue to escalate.