Why airdrops on Gaza are actually dangerous despite their intention to help

The United Nations has condemned airdrops on Gaza, amid the rapidly deteriorating starvation crisis as Israel continues to block aid into the territory.

Hunger has reached catastrophic levels, and nearly half a million are now people facing famine-like conditions, as a third of the Gaza population are being forced to go without food.

A press release shared this week by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that malnutrition in Gaza is spiraling out of control. They outlined that of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 occurred in July – including 24 children under five, one child over five, and 38 adults.

The organisation has also stated that the ‘crisis remains entirely preventable’ and ‘deliberate blocking and delay of large-scale food, health, and humanitarian aid has cost many lives’.

But now, as aid packages have been parachuted into the territory for the first time in months, aid agencies have called this a ‘grotesque distraction’ that won't end the starvation.

Aid workers have explained how airdrops to Gaza can actually be dangerous (BASHAR TALEB / Getty Images)

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel were among the countries who sent airdrops to Gaza over the weekend.

However, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general for the UN Relief and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), has called them ‘expensive’ and ‘inefficient’.

In a tweet posted to X (formerly Twitter) on July 26, he wrote: “Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation.

“They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians. It is a distraction & screensmoke.

“Man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates & guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.”

What is an airdrop?

Airdrops are parachuted supply packages which contain things like food and essential items.

They are dropped into an area via an aeroplane and a parachute, and usually they require a predetermined location, with staff on the ground waiting to receive them.

The controversial method usually only takes place as a last resort when it’s hard to get aid to where it needs to go. Once it’s landed, the aid is supposed to be distributed on the ground.

Gaza is facing a rapidly deteriorating starvation crisis as Israel continues to block aid into the territory (U.S. Air Force via Getty Images)

What dangers do airdrops pose?

While they may be intended to help, as aid agencies have pointed out, airdrops can actually be dangerous and even take lives.

Because the Gaza Strip is so densely populated, warnings have been issued that dropping parcels could cause harm to those on the ground.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) operations manager Jacob Burns, said: “The primary danger of the airdrop is you cannot safely aim a pallet of aid. People have already been killed by aid drops in Gaza.”

According to Gaza’s health ministry and the Independent, five people died last year after a parachute failed to deploy, causing the parcel to fall directly onto people.

As well as this, the humanitarian organisation has outlined further problems due to the desperation of the people who are starving.

Burns explained: “If you’re starving and suddenly you see food drop out of the sky, obviously you’re going to run towards that aid and it’s a situation where the strongest will win.”

He added: “If you’re just throwing aid randomly into the Gaza Strip, then you have no idea who can control that.”

Packages containing food and other items were dropped into Gaza over the weekend (Anadolu / Getty Images)

Military analyst Sean Bell told Sky News that ‘some of it has been looted by gangs and is on the black market already’.

He added that because there is no runway for a plane to land on, airdropping can be ‘very dangerous’.

He said: "Aircraft flying relatively low and slow over a warzone isn't very clever. When these parcels hit the ground, there's a significant danger of them hitting people."

The analyst also pointed out that planes cannot carry as much cargo as lorries.

"The really big issue is aircraft can only deliver one truckload of aid. Gaza needs 500 truckloads a day, so it's 0.2% of the daily need,” he explained.

To donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians, which works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees, you can visit its website