More aid airdropped into the Gaza Strip, says Israel

International aid supplies have once again been dropped from the air over the sealed-off Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said on Thursday.

The deliveries comprised 43 pallets of food dropped by parachute from Jordanian, Emirati and Egyptian aircraft in the past few hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The three countries are coordinating their drops with Israel’s authorities.

On Sunday, Israel authorized the import of aid supplies on a large scale for the first time in months. Since then, an average of around 200 lorry loads per day have been arriving in the Gaza Strip.

Several European countries – including Germany – also want to start airdropping aid in the coming days.

Humanitarian organizations are in favour of the resumption of aid deliveries on a larger scale for the suffering Palestinian civilian population, but they consider airdrops to be ineffective and too expensive due to the relatively small quantities involved.

Compared to lorries, only very little food can be transported. Aid workers also point out that the airdropped pallets could injure or kill people on the ground in such a densely populated area.