'We are not dogs': Palestinians condemn humiliation of chasing after airdropped aid in Gaza

Egypt Independent

4 days ago

In the central Gazan town of Al-Zawayda, scores of Palestinians rushed to collect boxes of aid that were dropped from the sky on Monday.
For many, the food in these boxes will be the only meal they eat today. But many say that having no choice but to chase after airdropped aid is an insult to their dignity.
'This aid is disgraceful. We are not dogs to be made to run after aid,' Ahmad Faiz Fayyad told CNN. 'We'd rather die of hunger with dignity than die in humiliation and filth.'
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates carried out their first airdrops into Gaza over the weekend, attempting to combat starvation in the enclave caused by Israel's blockade.
'The people doing this have no shame,' said Fayyad. 'We want the aid to come in by land and be distributed through institutions, so that people can receive it with dignity and honor.'
Fayyad said he did not collect any aid and did not want to, while dozens of others scrambled to reach the UAE Red Crescent-marked boxes. As a crowd of people picked up the boxes from the ground, gunshots rang out, causing many to panic and flee, CNN video showed.
One man said he managed to collect some flour, but that it would not be enough to feed his family of eight. Another elderly woman said she hadn't managed to reach the food because she was almost crushed in the crowd.
Others were grateful to receive food, but said the method of airdropping aid only risked more violence.
'I took this box, thank God. It will help ease the hunger we're facing. Praise be to God and thank you to everyone who helped us,' Mohammad Al-Bara'a told CNN.
'This is enough for us, but you can see and hear what's happening—people are fighting to the death over aid. There are no words to describe what you're seeing.'
The United Nations has warned that airdropping aid into Gaza is 'very, very expensive' and often dangerous.
'Why use airdrops when you can drive hundreds of trucks through the borders,' Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told CNN last week. 'It's much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper and safer.'