Aid groups and officials are criticizing the US for dropping humanitarian assistance into Gaza by airplane instead of pressuring Israel to allow more aid trucks to enter the Strip, where the entire population is facing “crisis” levels of food insecurity.
On Saturday, US Central Command announced that it conducted a “combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza” with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. The command said US C-130 military transport planes dropped 38,000 meals on Gaza, which is populated by about 2.2 million people.
The international charity Oxfam said the airdrops “mostly serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials whose policies are contributing to the ongoing atrocities and risk of famine in Gaza” and called for the US to end military aid to Israel.
“While Palestinians in Gaza have been pushed to the absolute brink, dropping a paltry, symbolic amount of aid into Gaza with no plan for its safe distribution would not help and be deeply degrading to Palestinians,” said Scott Paul, who leads Oxfam’s US government advocacy.
“Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services,” Paul added.
Dave Harden, a former USAID official, said the airdrops show the US government is weak for not putting more pressure on Israel. “The airdrops are symbolic and designed in ways to appease the domestic base,” Harden told Al Jazeera. “Really what needs to happen is more crossings [opening] and more trucks going in every day … I think the United States is weak and that’s really disappointing to me.”
US officials have acknowledged to Axios that the airdrops only have a limited impact since a US military plane could only drop the equivalent of the amount of aid one or two aid trucks can carry.
The UN has warned that at least 576,000 Palestinians in Gaza are “facing catastrophic levels of deprivation and starvation,” and a massive famine is expected if the situation on the ground doesn’t significantly change. At least 15 Palestinian children have starved to death in Gaza over the past few days.
The US airdrops came after at least 112 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, who opened fire on civilians waiting for aid trucks in northern Gaza, an incident known as the “flour massacre.” A similar incident took place on Sunday,
Truly despicable.
How about a U.S. contingent of U.S. forces accompany the 1000 trucks that await going into Gaza. Just tell the IDF to step aside. Oh wait, Biden is beckoning the IDF to finish things off before the remaining primaries are completed. Then shut down all mention of Palestine, the genocide.
“How about a U.S. contingent of U.S. forces accompany the 1000 trucks that await going into Gaza…tell the IDF to step aside.”
Not US forces – UN peacekeeping forces. Good idea – startting w/a security council proposal the US would again have to publicly vote on.
The lack of such initiatives is where Europe shares blame for Gaza.
Yanis Varoufakis, “Europe’s Role in the Israel-Gaza War”
[http split so as not to hog space]
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OAniUDMA1Y&t=142s
Your links dont work for me. Please givethe titles so those of us who respect your work can access the content. Thank You
“Your links dont work for me.”
See yr point. Below, some Youtube titles w/Varoufakis, followed by unbroken link to the above-cited piece:
“Yanis Varoufakis BLASTS Europe’s Complicity in Genocide” (1 day)
“Yanis Varoufakis on Israel Palestine” (2 weeks)
“The West Is Complicit In Israel’s Genocide | Yanis Varoufakis & Raoul Martinez” (2 weeks)
“‘We Europeans created the problem’: Analyst holds Europe accountable for Israel-Gaza war” (3 weeks)
“Yanis Varoufakis: “The EU does not have the moral spine to condemn the State of Israel” (4 mo.)
below: “Yanis Varoufakis on Israel-Gaza: ‘We Europeans have created this'” [which I mislabeled “Europe’s Role in the Israel-Gaza War”]:
And at the same time how about the US forces hunt down the terrorists who’s murders and kidnapping started this war?
YES!!!!! It seems the IDF is too busy GENOCIDING the MAJORITY WOMEN & CHILDREN, & has NO TIME to look for HAMAS…
And if Hamas did not hide in forts build over civilians structures, civilians losses would be smaller. But don’t let this fact get in the way of you chanting Palestinian’s propaganda .
When the kidnapping excuse didn’t work for justifying genocide you slid to the “forts” excuse for justifying genocide. When that doesn’t work, you’ll slide to another. Always trying to justify the genocide but knowing god damned well there is no such thing as justification for genocide. You really are disgusting. But don’t let that fact stop you.
Oh dont worry your dirty GENOCIDE FAN BOY ASS. Everybody knows what side you are on and I, hopefully we will not let any of Your Propaganda effect our minds
Sorry asshole this war started back in 1948 by the Irgun the first terrorists. Look up and read some history before you write or speak.
Israel’s GENOCIDE & Land Theft project is100% Zionist run project… They OWN Biden. Senile Biden. How many voters will vote Genocide party here in the U.S. ????
There’s another article today about corruption. But, this is a great example. “Humanitarian” organizations are like, “Do we speak up? Should we risk our funding and jobs?” Here’s another example: How about countries under US sanctions and embargoes? Dude, we have no right to talk about other countries’ “corruption.”
Send in 200 B52s loaded with food and medicine. I don’t believe Israel would have the balls to shoot them down. The problem is the US wants the Palestinians to disappear also. Anything else is lip service. The rest of the Southern Hemisphere knows this and has no illusions.
It would be better if the Biden war criminals STOPPED sending 5 THOUSAND POUND BOMBS to Israel to drop on GAZA. Token food aid is somewhat helpful but Genocide Joe needs to stop suipplying the U,S. weapons for the GENOCIDE…!!!!!!!
What would be more helpful if Hamas released the kidnapped victims and surrender their weapons. Then the war would stop. But of of course, that would require Hamas to care about the civilians in Gaza. Instead Hamas is willing to get civilians killed in the cross of war and score PR points.
While Israel complies with brutality the world rarely sees. Once more trying to justify the unjustifiable.
I agree 100% but let us not hold our breath. The leaders and policy makers in the US have a death wish which would be OK is we don’t have to go with them
Mission accomplished! Compassionate n’ Crafty US Policy Dribbles in Aid!
US humanitarian air aid outfoxes US policy supporting Israeli land blockade!
The stupid Genocide Obsessed Israelis appear to have gotten on China’s & the Russian “To-Do list. A sure sign of big problems in the future and a failure to avoid exitential danger in their conduct of their GENOCIDE……!!!!!!!!!!!!! Countries with no strategic deepth messing with super nuke states just show how mindless they can be
Dropping food to continue genocide and starvation slowly…! And at the same time gain some votes from US voters without upsetting Israel…!
Not weak but OWNED by the GENOCIDERS. Jefrey Epstein caught U.S top leaders in CP & C-sex videos. Tens or hundreds of thousands women & children dead because of Israel’s AMERICAN FINANCED CRIME.