A military plane veered over the ruins of war-torn Gaza City and dropped dozens of black parachutes carrying food aid.
On land, where almost no buildings remained standing, hungry men and boys raced towards the shore where most of the aid appeared to have landed.
Dozens of them jostled for food, with crowds gathering on rubble-strewn sand dunes.
“People are dying just to get a can of tuna,” said Mohammad al-Sabaawi, carrying a nearly empty bag over his shoulder, and a boy beside him.
“The situation is tragic, as if we are starving. What can we do? They mocked us by giving us a small can of tuna.”
Aid groups say only a small portion of the supplies needed to meet basic humanitarian needs have arrived in Gaza since October, while the UN has warned of impending famine in the north of the territory in May if there is no immediate intervention.
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Aid entering the Gaza Strip by land is well below pre-war levels, about 150 vehicles per day compared with at least 500 vehicles before the war, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
As Gazans grow more desperate, foreign governments are turning to air aid, particularly in hard-to-reach northern areas, including Gaza City.
The United States, France and Jordan are among the countries carrying out air strikes on people living in the ruins of the besieged region’s largest city.
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But the flight crew told AFP the aid provided was not enough.
US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Anderson said earlier this month what they were able to provide was just a “drop in the bucket” of what was needed.
Air operations were also marred by deaths. Five people on the ground died from falls and 10 others were injured after parachutes malfunctioned, according to a medic in Gaza.
Also read: UNRWA Disappointed with Donor Countries
Calls are growing for Israel to allow more aid overland, while Israel blames the UN and UNRWA for not distributing aid in Gaza.
“The Palestinian people in Gaza desperately need what has been promised – a flood of aid. Not a trickle, not a trickle,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday after visiting Gaza’s southern border with Egypt in Rafah.
“Looking at Gaza, it almost looks like the four horsemen of war, famine, conquest and death are galloping through it,” he added.
Also read: UN Secretary General Says It is Impossible to Disband UNRWA
The war was sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel launched a counteroffensive and invasion of Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas which has killed at least 32,333 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
Returning to Gaza City with little money to support his family, Sabaawi said their situation was desperate.
“We were Gazans, waiting for help, willing to die to get a can of beans – which we then distributed to 18 people.” (AFP/Z-3)
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