Palestinians in southern Gaza rush to the sea as aircraft drop food aid

By Mustafa Haboush

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Thousands of Palestinians from the southern Gaza Strip gathered at the shore Tuesday after witnessing aircraft drop food aid.

Despite some of the aid landing in the sea, people strived to reach it while others utilized small boats.

Residents of the Gaza Strip, totaling around 2.3 million, face dire circumstances.

Citing undisclosed sources, the Al Qahera Al Youm talk show, known for its closeness to Egyptian authorities, reported earlier in the day that 45 tons of Egyptian humanitarian aid were dropped in northern and central areas of the Gaza Strip with the participation of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

As a result of the Israeli war, Gazans are teetering on the brink of famine, facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.

Around two million Palestinians have been internally displaced from the territory, which has been under an Israeli blockade for 17 years.

A rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza Strip poses grave threats to their health, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Feb. 19.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing nearly 30,000 people and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio