Five countries drop 90 aid airdrops over Gaza amid safety concerns

Aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany, and France airdropped 90 packages of humanitarian aid packages in the northern and southern Gaza Strip in the last few hours, according to the Israeli military.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, previously has criticised the use of airdropped aid in Gaza, warning it risks killing civilians seeking relief.

"If there is political will to allow airdrops - which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings," he said on Friday.

"As the people of Gaza are starving to death, the only way to respond to the famine is to flood Gaza with assistance."

Airdrops are at least 100 times more costly than trucks
Trucks carry twice as much aid as planes.

If there is political will to allow airdrops - which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings.

As the…
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 1, 2025

A videographer films next to airmen by a shipment of humanitarian aid packages loaded onto a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft during an airdrop mission over the Gaza Strip on July 30, 2025. — A videographer films next to airmen by a shipment of humanitarian aid packages loaded onto a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft during an airdrop mission over the Gaza Strip on 30 July, 2025. (AFP)