An RAF plane drops an aid package over Gaza (Picture: Grant Schapps on Twitter)
The Royal Air Force began British airdrops of aid into Gaza this week—and immediately made the terrible suffering even worse.
At least 12 Palestinians drowned off the northern Gaza coast near Beit Lahia while trying to reach airdropped parcels that had landed in the sea, according to local paramedics. Another six people died in a crush as people tried to reach the food and other supplies.
With two million people starving and children dying, the tiny level of supplies from the air are little more than a contemptuous taunt, crumbs thrown to those on the verge of death. People driven to the edge by the suffering of themselves and their families are pushed to compete to see who lives and who dies. And nearby Western-armed Israeli F-35 jets drop bombs.
Yasser Khan is a surgeon from Toronto in Canada who has just returned from Gaza. He described “a mother walking in holding her eight, nine-year-old, skinny boy who’s dead, he’s cold and dead and she’s screaming, asking for someone to check his pulse and everybody’s busy in the mass chaos”.
And then the imperialists toss some aid packages from the sky. Footage obtained by CNN news shows hundreds of Palestinians rushing to the site of the aid drop. In one scene, people are performing CPR on several unresponsive bodies in a futile attempt to resuscitate them.
Abu Mohammad, who witnessed the incident, said the aid was dropped far from the coast into the sea, after which multiple people drowned while trying to retrieve it.
“There were strong currents and all the parachutes fell in the water. People want to eat and are hungry,” he said. “These humiliating methods are not acceptable.”
Hamas has called on Western countries to end airdrops warning that the delivery method is “offensive, wrong, inappropriate and useless”. It said, “We demand the immediate and rapid opening of land crossings to allow humanitarian aid to reach our Palestinian people. Aid airdrops pose a real threat to the lives of hungry Palestinians.”
Britain, Egypt, Germany, the US, Singapore, and a joint UAE-Jordanian mission all flew airdrops over Gaza on Monday.
The 18 deaths linked to airdrops at the start of this week come as Israel told the UN it will no longer approve any food lorry convoys to northern Gaza.“People are already dying of starvation up in the north and this is essentially a death sentence,” said Sam Rose, Director of Planning at the refugee agency Unrwa.
Airdrops avoid the real issue—Israel’s calculated blockade of Gaza that enforces famine. One of Israel’s methods is to halt lorries that contain “dual use” items—those that supposedly might have a military purpose. In one recent example, Israel rejected a whole truck because it contained a pair of scissors for use in a hospital.
“International law” is not affecting Israel at all. One of the International Court of Justice’s orders to Israel in January required it to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance”.
That hasn’t happened at all. And Israel has not paused its assaults after the UN security council passed a ceasefire motion on Monday. Israel killed at least 100 people in the 36 hours after the motion went through. It is more important than ever to mobilise on the streets and in workplaces.
National Demonstration: Ceasefire Now—Stop the Genocide in Gaza. This Saturday, 30 March, 12 noon, Russell Square, London WC1B 5LH, marching to Trafalgar Square. Go to scottishpsc.org.uk for events in Scotland
Palestine and the Unions—The Next Steps for the Movement Mon 15 April, 6.30pm. contact [email protected] for details and Zoom link.
Workplace day of action, Wed 1 May. Stop the War says:
Strikers are demanding an unallocated €1.6 billion go towards workers' pay rise
London march on 27 October
Another day of mass resistance
Plus: 500 on Leeds unity march
