29-07-2025
Using airdrops to deliver aid is ‘futile initiative that smacks of cynicism', says MSF – Middle East crisis live
Update:
Date: 2025-07-29T07:36:10.000Z
Title: Using airdrops to deliver aid is 'futile initiative that smacks of cynicism', MSF says
Content: We are continuing our live coverage of Israel's war on Gaza as international pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the territory continues to grow amid reports of widespread starvation and malnutrition.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has condemned the use of airdrops to deliver desperately needed aid to Gaza, calling the approach 'futile' and 'cynical'.
Jean Guy Vataux, MSF's emergency coordinator in Gaza, called for Israel to allow for the full access of humanitarian aid that he says is ready to be delivered across the border by road.
He warned that airdrops are 'notoriously ineffective and dangerous' as they can't carry much aid and can injure (or even kill) people when they are dropped.
In a post on X, Vataux wrote:
Using airdrops for the delivery of humanitarian aid is a futile initiative that smacks of cynicism.
The roads are there, the trucks are there, the food and medicine are there, everything is ready to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza just a few kilometres away.
All that is needed is for Israeli authorities to decide to facilitate its arrival - expedite the clearance procedures, allow the entry of goods at scale, and coordinate to permit safe collection and delivery. Only then can we begin to resolve the starvation we are seeing …
At the moment, two million people are trapped in a tiny piece of land, which makes up just 12 per cent of the whole Strip - if anything lands in this area, people will inevitably be injured.
On the other hand, if the airdrops land in areas where Israel has issued displacement orders, people will be forced to enter militarised zones – once again risking their lives for food.
Israel says more than 200 aid trucks were collected and distributed yesterday by aid agencies, and that an additional 260 trucks entered Gaza and are awaiting collection.
This is in addition to airdrops carried out by Jordan, the UAE and Israel, which parachuted aid packages into the territory for the first time in months over the weekend. Charities say this aid is totally inadequate for the needs of Gaza's population.
Stick with us as we give you the latest updates and analysis throughout the day.
