Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary Major General Avi Gil returned from a secret trip to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday night in which he tried to calm tensions in the Arab world before Ramadan and ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza via alternative routes, following controversy over aid mismanagement and the recent deaths of dozens of Palestinians who stormed an aid truck convoy in the territory's north.
Humanitarian aid airdropped over Gaza, on Tuesday
The trip, on behalf of Prime Minister Netanyahu, sought to set up a maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Gaza. The UAE will buy the aid for shipment to Gaza via Cyprus, including security checks. Reuters reported the aid transfer should start "within a few days."
To date, a solution for distributing aid in Gaza to prevent Hamas from seizing it remains elusive. Meanwhile, the United States is urging Israel to open a third terrestrial crossing at the Karni border crossing for humanitarian aid entry into the northern Strip and is also pressing for the commencement of maritime aid delivery.
In recent days, almost daily aerial aid drops have been conducted by Egypt, Jordan and the United States. However, not everyone in Gaza is satisfied with what many are calling "the aerial show."
Palestinian showcases contents of US aid package in viral video
Some complain that part of the aid ends up in the ocean or the surrounding areas, or falls in populated neighborhoods, leading to chaotic scrambles for the supplies.
Aid aircraft drop between 8 to 10 parachutes per sortie, each containing up to 50 food packages. Thousands rush to these drops, seen in Gaza as humiliating and disrespectful.
"What should a man do when his children are starving? We are a noble and precious people, starving because we've humbled their military mechanism," one Gazan told Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar in an interview.
"Are we dogs? Why drop food from the air for us to chase like animals?" another questioned.
One Gazan was seen on TikTok discarding seemingly expired aid packages due to their foul smell.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that "Aid drops lead to civilian stampedes and the tragic deaths of dozens, sometimes in horrifying scenes."
Gaza has requested regular truck deliveries of aid, despite fears of Hamas commandeering and misusing them.
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