At Least 5 People in Gaza Killed by Airdropped Aid: Report

Writer

At least five people were reportedly killed at a Palestinian refugee camp after a large pallet of aid packages dropped on them in Gaza.

Journalist Khader Al Zaanoun told CNN that he witnessed the packages falling from the sky over the Al Shati refugee camp on Friday. Muhammad Al-Sheikh, the head of emergency care for Gaza City's Al Shifa Medical Complex later said that five people were confirmed dead. Newsweek has not independently confirmed the incident.

CNN reported that a video shows a parachute malfunctioning before the pallet dropped at "a high speed towards a residential building." It was unclear which nation was responsible, with the U.S. and other countries recently ramping up efforts to distribute humanitarian aid via airdrops over the war-torn territory.

The Context

A humanitarian crisis has been growing in Gaza over the five months since Israel began its response to the October 7 attack by Islamist militant group Hamas, which killed around 1,200 Israelis. Over 30,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have since been killed in Gaza, according to authorities there.

President Joe Biden's administration has pledged to increase the amount of humanitarian aid being sent to Gaza, while calling on Israel to allow more aid to reach Palestinians and agree to a temporary ceasefire that could facilitate the release of hostages still held by Hamas.

This week, the U.S. began airdropping aid into Gaza, while preparing to execute plans for a maritime aid corridor in the Mediterranean. France, Egypt and Jordan have also participated in the humanitarian airdrops.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the U.S. Defense Department via email on Friday.

What We Know

CNN reported that five people were killed and at least 10 others were injured following the parachute malfunction on Friday. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said that all five fatalities were children. Some of those injured were reportedly in "serious condition" at the Al Shifa hospital.

Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary, said during a press conference on Friday that the U.S. conducted its "fourth airdrop of critically needed meals into Gaza this morning," while denying that the U.S. airdrop was connected to the fatal accident.

"Press reports that U.S. airdrops resulted in civilian casualties on the ground are false, as we've confirmed that all of our aid bundles landed safely on the ground," said Ryder.

Views

Although some early reports on Friday indicated that the accident was part of a U.S. airdrop, Ryder later said during his press conference that he was "pretty confident" that it did not directly involve a U.S. effort.

"In terms of this particular airdrop, I would just note that the [online] alert that went out on [the accident] was five minutes before the airdrop actually occurred," Ryder said. "So, pretty confident that it wasn't us."

"And we also maintain the capability to observe our bundles actually hitting the ground," he continued, before adding that the Pentagon could not confirm reported casualty figures.

The government of Jordan has also denied playing any role in the airdrop accident, according to the BBC.

What's Next

While Friday's tragedy is unlikely to deter the U.S. and other nations from continuing to conduct humanitarian airdrops in Gaza, aid to Palestinians may soon be delivered by other means.

Officials from the European Union, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus announced in a joint statement on Friday that they were joining U.S. efforts to deliver aid by sea, which could begin as soon as this weekend.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting international pressure to ease up on attacks in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire, while also facing increasing backlash at home.