Five killed in Gaza by aid airdrop gone wrong
At least five people have been killed and several others injured in Gaza after an aid airdrop went wrong Friday, multiple reports said.
Airdrops malfunctioned, hitting people and landing on homes Friday, The Associated Press reported, citing Palestinian officials.
The reports come after the United States and several other countries have pledged to increase efforts to deliver more desperately needed aid to Gaza.
Last Friday, President Biden announced that the U.S. would airdrop humanitarian aid in the coming days amid negotiations for a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The first U.S. drop took place Saturday, delivering 38,000 meals.
Biden said the aid flowing into war-torn Gaza is “nowhere near enough now,” and more food, medicine, water and other supplies would be heading to the civilians soon.
Still, as the U.S. and its allies attempt to send aid, many say it’s insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians. Since the start of the Oct. 7 war, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported.
In his State of the Union address Thursday, Biden said the U.S. military will build a temporary port to boost the aid deliveries.
The aid efforts have increased since more than 100 civilians were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire on people scrambling to access humanitarian aid.
According to CNN, a journalist witnessed the aid packages Friday falling from planes over the Al Shati camp, but could not confirm which nation was behind the airdrop, since several have joined with the U.S. to deliver the supplies.
Five people were killed and several others were in serious condition due to the airdrop malfunction, Muhammed Al-Sheikh, the head of the emergency care department at the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, confirmed to the outlet.
The Gaza Health Ministry and an eyewitness said five were killed when the parachute on the aid package failed to properly deploy. There were two boys among the five killed, CBS News reported.