The Israeli military announced the resumption of aerial humanitarian aid drops to Gaza late Saturday, shortly after over 100 relief organizations warned of a looming famine in the region.
In a statement, the military noted, “Seven aid packages containing flour, sugar, and canned food will be dropped, supplied by international organizations.”
Additionally, the military confirmed it would establish humanitarian corridors to ensure safe passage for United Nations convoys carrying food and medical supplies to the residents of Gaza.
The Israeli military also revealed it is prepared to implement a “temporary suspension of military actions for humanitarian purposes” in certain areas of Gaza.
The military highlighted that aerial aid drops would begin overnight and that efforts are underway to secure safe transit for UN convoys filled with food and medicine.
The statement read, “Tonight, the Israeli military will resume aerial humanitarian aid drops as part of ongoing efforts to facilitate aid entry into Gaza,” adding that the initial drops will include seven loads containing flour, sugar, and canned goods provided by international organizations.
On Friday, Paris, Berlin, and London called on Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the delivery of aid.”
Kings Abdullah II of Jordan also spoke with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, emphasizing the need to “make every effort to end the war in Gaza” and “ensure the flow of aid” to all areas of the region, according to a royal palace statement.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stated that the resumption of aerial aid drops is an “ineffective” response to the ongoing humanitarian disaster.
Lazzarini expressed on X, “Aerial drops will not resolve the escalating famine threat. They are costly, ineffectual, and could even harm starving civilians.”
On Saturday, civil defense reported that 40 individuals, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes primarily targeting Gaza City in the north, Khan Younis in the south, and the Nusairat camp in the central region.
Furthermore, civil defense indicated that 14 people were killed by Israeli forces while waiting for humanitarian assistance, marked by six separate incidents in the northern, central, and southern parts of the region, including nine in a single event in the Morag area in southern Gaza.