‘Aerial humiliation, not aid': Teenage boy killed by aid drop in Gaza

News.com.au

5 days ago

WARNING: Graphic
Harrowing footage has shown the moment a 14-year-old boy was fatally struck by a parachuted aid pallet in Gaza, amid increased warnings the drops are 'killing our children'.
Muhannad Eid was running towards the heavy packages as they were dropped near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza on Saturday when one crushed him, his brother Muhammad Eid said.
Video of the tragic incident, shared to social media, showed more large pallets hitting the ground, before showing Muhannad's body being dragged from underneath a crate and carried away from the crowds.
'Despite the famine and the hard conditions that we live in, my brother went to get aid that was dropped into the sea by planes,' Muhammad told Reuters.
'A box fell on him directly and he was martyred. (The countries involved in the airdrops) cannot enter the aid through the crossing but they drop them over us and kill our children. A kid was killed in (az-)Zawayda and here and there, and nobody feels us … This is an aerial humiliation, not aid. We need protection. We want international protection.'
Muhannad's death comes amid repeated warnings that the parachuted deliveries are costly, ineffective and deadly, on top of failing to meet the demand of food, baby formula and other supplies required to address the unfolding famine in the territory.
At least 23 Palestinians have been killed and another 124 wounded in the airdrops since October, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
'We have repeatedly warned of the danger of these inhumane methods and have repeatedly called for the entry of aid through land crossings in a safe and sufficient manner, especially food, infant milk, medicines, and medical supplies,' it said in a statement.
Civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Basal noted there were 'daily injuries and fatalities caused by the heavy parcels falling on people's heads in densely populated areas', adding that stampedes and overcrowding at aid drop sites also frequently lead to casualties.
Texas-based orthopaedic surgeon Dr Umar Burney, who has been treating patients at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza, told NBC News on Sunday he had treated 'multiple patients who've been crushed by these sort of unplanned, unannounced aid drops on top of their heads, literally on top of their heads'.
'Those aid drops are actually causing havoc,' Dr Burney said.
Getting vital aid into the besieged territory has become a key issue in the conflict, creating a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition among more than two million Palestinians – one human rights groups say has been exacerbated by an Israeli blockade on supplies, imposed from March to late May after ceasefire talks broke down.
The easing of the blockade coincided with the beginning of the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) operations, which effectively sidelined Gaza's traditionally UN-led aid distribution system, and which have been criticised as grossly inadequate. Since the GHF began its operation in May, the UN said more than 1300 people have died while trying to receive aid, most of them shot by Israeli forces near the sites.
Israel began allowing limited airdrops from the likes of Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and, to an even lesser extent, land transport into Gaza in July, though the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Saturday it had been barred from bringing any humanitarian aid into Gaza for more than five months.
'This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple,' OCHA's co-ordination director Ramesh Rajasingham said.
An estimated 217 civilians, among them 100 children, have died from malnutrition in the last 22 months, according to the UN's humanitarian office OCHA. Most have occurred in recent weeks.
Israel has maintained there is no starvation in Gaza. In an interview with the ABC's 7:30 on Monday night, Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon insisted that 'the government of Israel is not – is not – there is no starvation policy'.
'That's not to say that we believe the condition on the ground are ideal,' Mr Maimon continued, after being repeatedly asked by host Sarah Ferguson to disclose 'how many children' have died of starvation in Gaza.
'There are real challenges in recent two weeks, we're not responsible for the distribution. It's also very important to recognise the role of Hamas – the negative role of Hamas – in preventing aid to reach all those needed Palestinians.'
'Do you accept 100 children in Gaza have died of starvation in recent months? Do you accept those statistics?' Ferguson responded.
'Let me pose this question. How many children do they say have died from starvation in recent months?'
'Well, I have no figures, but I can push back on the Israeli hostages that did not receive humanitarian aid since October 7, nor a visit from the – none of the organisations that are responsible to assist those who are in need,' Mr Maimon replied.
'I can talk about the starvation of David, who was just released, and I don't hear much, you know, talk about him and about the very poor condition that he was held in.
'I am not also hearing any reports about the fact that he was forced to dig his own grave, he's not the first one.'
The ABC host replied that the conditions the hostages are being held in, in Gaza, were 'repulsive and rejected by all decent-minded humans around the world'.
'But we're here to talk about decisions by the Israeli government at the moment,' she said.
'Let me ask you a final question – as an ambassador, you are obliged in your position to maintain your government's position. In our own heart, do you believe the killing and starving of civilians in Gaza should stop?'
'Once again, there is no policy of starvation,' the ambassador said.
'I feel very sad for any loss of innocent life. I lost two members of my family on October 7. Every child matters. Whether it's Israeli or Palestinian. And it is very sad. It's a tragedy. But it's also important to remember that the Hamas bears the responsibility, the Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
'It's a war we didn't ask for, nor we started. It's a war we want to end.'