The military aircraft tilted over the destroyed remains of Gaza City, releasing numerous black parachutes containing food supplies.
Down below, in a landscape where hardly any buildings were left standing, starving men and boys hurried towards the beach where the majority of the aid had landed.
Many of them pushed and shoved aggressively to reach the food, with chaotic scenes unfolding along the debris-covered dunes.
“People are literally dying to grab a can of tuna,” remarked Mohamad al-Sabaawi, with a young boy by his side, carrying an almost empty bag on his shoulder.
“The situation is heartbreaking, almost like we’re experiencing a famine. What can we do? It’s disheartening that they belittle us by offering just a small can of tuna.”
Upon his return to Gaza City with scant resources to sustain his family, another Palestinian man expressed the dire conditions they were facing.
“We are the residents of Gaza, relying on aid deliveries, even willing to risk our lives for a can of beans — which we then divide among 18 individuals,” he shared.
Humanitarian organizations report that only a small portion of the necessary supplies to address basic needs have reached Gaza since October, while the UN has issued a warning of a potential famine in the northern region of the territory by May if immediate action is not taken.
The amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip via land has significantly decreased from pre-war levels, with approximately 150 vehicles per day compared to a minimum of 500 before the conflict, as reported by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
As the situation in Gaza becomes more desperate, foreign governments have resorted to airdrops, especially in the challenging-to-access northern areas of the territory, including Gaza City.
Countries such as the United States, France, and Jordan are participating in airdrops to assist the residents residing amidst the remains of what was once the largest city in the besieged territory.
However, the aircrews themselves have expressed that the airdrops are inadequate. U. S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson mentioned earlier this month that what they were able to provide was merely a small portion of what was required.
The air operation has been marred by fatalities. According to a medic in Gaza, five individuals on the ground lost their lives due to one airdrop, and 10 others sustained injuries as a result of parachute malfunctions.
There have been increasing demands for Israel to permit more aid to enter via land routes, while Israel has shifted blame onto the UN and UNRWA for what they perceive as inadequate distribution of aid within Gaza.
“Palestinians in Gaza are in urgent need of the promised aid — a substantial influx, not just small amounts. Not trickles. Not drops,” stated UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday following his visit to Gaza’s southern border crossing with Egypt at Rafah.
“Observing Gaza, it seems as though the four horsemen of war, famine, conquest, and death are sweeping across it,” he added.