5 Killed, 10 Injured as Parachute Fails to Deploy During Aid Airdrop in Gaza

Gaza – Five were killed and 10 others were left injured in Gaza after they were crushed under a pallet of aid which was being dropped in the conflict-stricken coastal enclave. According to The Guardian, the incident occurred on Friday near the refugee camp called al-Shati. The pallet dropped from the skies immediately after the parachute which was holding it failed to deploy properly. As a result of this, the parcel fell on a group of men, teenagers and younger children who were running behind it with hopes of food and some vital aid. The incident happened days after the United States with the help of Jordan initiated airdropping humanitarian aid in Gaza. 

Amid the ravaging Israel-Hamas war, thousands of people are facing famine in northern Gaza, where basic necessities have become unattainable. According to The Guardian, the casualties were taken to Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital. One of the witnesses recalled the horrors by mentioning that he and his brother were following the pallet in hopes of getting a “bag of flour”. “Then, all of a sudden, the parachute didn’t open and fell down like a rocket on the roof of one of the houses,” a witness named Mohammed al-Ghoul told The Guardian. “Ten minutes later I saw people transferring three martyrs and others injured, who were staying on the roof of the house where the aid packages fell," he added. While the exact ages of the casualties were not clear, those injured were said to be between 30 and 50 years old. 

The US was not responsible

It is important to note that the United States, Jordan, Egypt, France, Netherlands and Belgium have been dropping aid over Gaza. However, the US defence official told CBS News that an initial review indicated that the US airdrop was not responsible for the fatalities that took place in Gaza on Friday. However, the White House maintained that they are thoroughly investigating the matter. Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) made a similar assertion as well. “We are aware of reports of civilians killed as a result of humanitarian airdrops. We express sympathies to the families of those who were killed. Contrary to some reports, this was not the result of US airdrops,” the body wrote on X, formally known as Twitter.

The method of airdropping aid in the conflict zone has been criticised extensively in the past with many calling it ‘inadequate’ and ‘insufficient’. Amid the chaos, the United Nations has warned of widespread famine among Gaza's roughly 2.3 million residents. After the criticisms, on Thursday, the Biden administration announced that it has asked the US military to set up temporary ports in the conflict-stricken coastal enclave to streamline the aid delivery in the region.