Daijiworld Media Network- Gaza
Gaza, Jul 30: Amid growing fears of a looming famine in the war-torn Gaza Strip, France announced on Tuesday that it will begin air-dropping 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid starting Friday, in collaboration with Jordanian authorities. The move comes as the enclave reels from over 21 months of war and a near-total blockade by Israeli forces.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed the development during an interview with BFMTV, stating that the air-drops would take place over four separate flights, each carrying 10 tonnes of essential supplies for Gaza’s starving civilian population.
The decision follows alarming warnings by UN-backed experts who say Gaza is rapidly descending into famine conditions, with mass starvation already taking hold in several areas of the besieged Palestinian territory.
"The air route is useful, but it is not sufficient," Barrot emphasized, pointing to bureaucratic and logistical delays affecting overland humanitarian routes. He revealed that 52 tonnes of French aid have been stuck in Egypt’s El-Arish, just 50 kilometres from Gaza’s Rafah crossing.
"It is therefore essential that the Israeli authorities finally agree to reopen land access to the Gaza Strip sufficiently so as to alleviate the atrocious suffering of its civilian populations," Barrot added.
French diplomatic sources echoed this sentiment, underlining that land delivery remains the most effective and scalable option to address the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The French move comes as part of a broader international response. Britain conducted its first humanitarian air-drop into Gaza earlier on Tuesday, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that two German aircraft are en route to Jordan to begin air-drops as early as tomorrow.
Despite Israel’s recent efforts to increase the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza, humanitarian organisations on the ground argue that much more needs to be done. They have called for streamlined inspections and the reopening of multiple border crossings to expedite relief.
More than two million people in Gaza face daily hunger, with the ongoing war that began after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel showing no signs of resolution. With critical infrastructure in ruins and access to food, water, and medical supplies severely limited, the international community is warning of an impending humanitarian disaster unless immediate and large-scale aid is delivered.