Palestinians trying to obtain aid dropped by planes over the sea coast north of the Gaza Strip (Reuters)

The government media office in Gaza confirmed on Tuesday that 18 Palestinians were martyred within one day due to the wrong landing of aid from planes.

The government media office said - in a statement - that dozens of hungry citizens entered the sea in the northern Gaza Strip governorate, in order to obtain aid that planes had incorrectly dropped into the sea instead of dropping it on land.

He added that 12 of them died from drowning, while 6 died from the stampede.

The statement held the United States and Israel responsible for the policy of starvation and siege against the Palestinian people, and called for an end to the aid deliveries, which it described as offensive, wrong, inappropriate, and useless.

The government media office in Gaza also called for the immediate and rapid opening of land crossings, in order to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people who suffer from hunger and acute food shortages.

Palestinian medical sources reported that 9 people drowned and others were missing at sea while trying to obtain air-dropped aid in the northern Gaza Strip, noting that 3 others were killed during a stampede for air-dropped aid in Beit Lahia.

For his part, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, confirmed that one of the UN agency’s employees, a resident of the northern Gaza Strip, drowned while trying to get food.

#Video from the northern #Gaza Strip

13 Palestinians drowned while trying to reach aid that was dropped on the beaches of Beit Lahia,


and others were injured while trying to remove boxes of so-called humanitarian aid that fell into the water.. pic.twitter.com/mM0UmXxHSf

— PIC | Pictures from history (@inpic0) March 26, 2024

Real danger

Meanwhile, Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told Al Jazeera that airdrops of aid pose a real danger to the lives of citizens.

Basal added that the most appropriate option to avoid this is to bring aid via land, or - at least - to search for safe mechanisms to deliver it.

Airdrops of aid over the Gaza Strip began in early February, with boxes loaded with food being dropped by parachutes.

Jordan began airdrop operations with the participation of countries, including France, and the United States recently joined these operations.

On March 8, 5 people were killed and 10 injured when aid boxes fell on Palestinian gatherings north of the Beach Camp and on Al-Jalaa Street north of Gaza City.

A week later, one person was killed and others were injured during a stampede to obtain aid in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of Palestinians were also killed and injured recently as a result of the Israeli occupation forces targeting Palestinian crowds waiting to receive aid in various places.

Source: Al Jazeera