Airdrops Fail

Israel allowed only 109 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, but most of them were looted amid escalating security chaos, the Gaza Government Media Office reported.

Four of six airdrops also fell into hazardous zones, it said.

“Today, 109 aid trucks entered Gaza, with the majority looted and robbed due to the security chaos systematically and deliberately imposed by the Israeli occupation,” the office said in a statement as published in Anadolu.

It added that Israel aims to “sabotage aid distribution and deprive civilians of assistance as part of engineering chaos and starvation.”

The office pointed out that the airdrop operations failed to reach those in need, noting that “four of six airdrops landed in areas under Israeli military control or neighborhoods where civilians had been ordered to evacuate.”

It added that anyone in these areas “faces direct targeting and killing,” making the airdrops “not only futile but also dangerous to the starving population.”

The media office emphasized that Gaza requires at least 600 aid trucks and fuel daily to meet civilians’ basic needs.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and since March 2 has shut down all crossings, blocking the entry of aid convoys and ignoring international calls to reopen them.

At least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

This comes as Israel on Sunday announced plans for localized temporary pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery through designated safe corridors amid mounting accusations that such measures are an attempt to whitewash its role in the deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

  • CrossFireArabia

    CrossFireArabia

    Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

    Related Posts

    Iranian Missiles Cause ‘Extensive’ Damage to US Bases Than Previously Thought – Report

    Iran has inflicted more “extensive” damage to US bases and equipment in the Middle East since the start of US and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, NBC News reported on Saturday, citing sources.

    The report said that the damages from Iran’s retaliatory strikes against US military bases in seven Middle Eastern countries were “far worse than publicly acknowledged and is expected to cost billions of dollars to repair.”

    Iran has hit dozens of targets, including warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars, satellite communications infrastructure, runways, high-end radar systems, and dozens of aircraft, the report said.

    The Pentagon has not detailed the extent of the damage to US military bases publicly, according to the report, with US Central Command declining to comment on battle damage assessments.

    According to the report, some Republican lawmakers privately expressed their dissatisfaction with senior Pentagon officials for refusing to provide information on the extent of the damage or a cost estimate for repairs.

    “No one knows anything. And it’s not for lack of asking,” one congressional aide was quoted by NBC News as saying. “We have been asking for weeks and not getting specifics, even as the Pentagon is asking for a record high budget.”

    The report mentioned that the damage to and cost of repairing the bases could reignite a debate over the merits of maintaining US bases in such close proximity to an adversary like Iran. Anadolu

    Continue reading
    Why is Iran’s FM in Oman?

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Muscat, Oman’s capital, on Saturday evening, leading a diplomatic delegation, according to Tasnim news agency.

    Araghchi is expected to meet with senior officials in Oman to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on regional developments.

    The visit follows his trip to Pakistan, where he said in a statement that he shared his country’s “position concerning a workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran,” without providing further details.

    He also expressed skepticism about Washington’s intentions.

    “Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy,” he said on the US social media company X.

    Pakistan has been acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington amid ongoing tensions following recent military escalation.

    Araghchi arrived in Pakistan late Friday and met with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday, amid efforts to revive stalled peace talks between the US and Iran to end their eight-week war.

    The first round was held in Islamabad two weeks ago but failed to reach an agreement to end the conflict that began on Feb. 28 and engulfed the entire Middle East. Those talks came after Pakistan brokered a two-week ceasefire on April 8, which was later extended by US President Donald Trump.

    Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he has cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.

    “I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing’,” Trump told Fox News via phone.

    Iran has refused to hold direct talks with the US and said observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.

    Some of the sticking points are said to be the Strait of Hormuz, the US blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran’s enriched uranium. Anadolu

    Continue reading

    You Missed

    Iranian Missiles Cause ‘Extensive’ Damage to US Bases Than Previously Thought – Report

    Iranian Missiles Cause ‘Extensive’ Damage to US Bases Than Previously Thought – Report

    Why is Iran’s FM in Oman?

    Why is Iran’s FM in Oman?

    Iran Detains Two Ship With Links to Israel

    Iran Detains Two Ship With Links to Israel

    Grapes and Death in Gaza

    Grapes and Death in Gaza

    US-Iran: Who Will Blink First!

    US-Iran: Who Will Blink First!

    Trump: Tunes, Ceasefire and Hormuz

    Trump: Tunes, Ceasefire and Hormuz