Gaza – Amira Ahmad Wafi
While international media promote the idea that “humanitarian aid” is saving Gaza from famine, voices from the ground tell a very different story. Dr. Tahseen al-Astal, Deputy Head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, affirms that what is presented under the label of “aid” has little to do with humanitarian relief. Instead, he describes it as a deadly trap for civilians.
Aid as a Weapon of War – Hunger as a Killing Trap
Al-Astal explains: “What is happening is not the delivery of aid, but the use of people’s suffering as a weapon of war—exactly as we see with the so-called U.S. aid. Trucks are directed to areas far from safe zones, forcing starving and thirsty people to move toward them. There, they are directly targeted. The Israeli occupation lures them with their need, then kills them.”
He adds that some international organizations’ aid deliveries are deliberately diverted away from safe displacement zones toward exposed or dangerous areas: “It is as if they are used intentionally to draw people into death.”
Al-Astal continues: “The Israeli occupation does not treat aid as a humanitarian necessity, but as a means of pressure, humiliation, and mass killing. Even the airdrops often fall in uninhabited or dangerous locations. If civilians manage to reach them, they are completely exposed—easy targets for planes and soldiers.”
Journalists on the Frontline: “What Isn’t Shown Hurts More”
According to Fuad Jarada, Chief Correspondent at Palestine TV and reporter for the Arab States Broadcasting Union, media coverage of Gaza’s airdrops attempts to show every angle—planes, the airdrop mechanism, the type of aid, and how people try to obtain it.
But he stresses that the reality is perilous: lack of transport, difficulty reaching drop sites classified by Israel as danger zones, and the risk of being attacked. He adds that the most shocking images are often withheld—either to protect audiences, to avoid social media censorship that could block content, or due to journalistic ethics. “But in truth,” he says, “what isn’t shown is the most painful.”
Jarada points out the glaring gap between the images broadcast to the world—suggesting famine has ended—and the reality: “Only about 900 trucks’ worth of aid has entered Gaza by land and air combined, while the Strip needs over 1,000 trucks daily to alleviate the crisis. What is promoted internationally is an attempt to ‘humanize’ Israeli policies and whitewash the crime.”
He recalls filming an airdrop in central Gaza’s al-Zawaida: “It was a true embodiment of ‘the struggle for survival.’ Men, women, and youth sprinted desperately toward wooden crates filled with food boxes. Some carried knives or guns, firing into the air and at others. Many fell and were trampled—I don’t know if they died. Nobody looked back. Everyone ran toward one thing: food.”
For Jarada, the task is not mere reporting but exposing reality: “Israel frames the airdrops as humanitarian lifelines, but in truth they are media deception and cover for a systematic starvation campaign.”
Aid Falling in “Red Zones” Surrounded by Death
Field testimony paints an even starker picture. Dr. Fadi Abu Armanah, professor of human development and contemporary issues, says most airdrops land in “red zones” designated by Israel—uninhabited, highly dangerous areas. Approaching them, he says, is “a gamble with certain death.”
“I never even considered going,” Abu Armanah admits. “The danger there is certain, not probable. Those who try face chaos, stampedes, and violent clashes over tiny amounts of food. Some return empty-handed; some never return at all.”
He adds that what does arrive is insufficient and rarely reaches displaced families in tents. Often, it ends up in the hands of uncontrolled groups or inaccessible areas.
Media Deception vs. Bitter Reality
Abu Armanah criticizes the media for inflating the scene: “What appears on screens does not resemble reality at all. It is blatant deception, portraying aid as if it solved the crisis while people on the ground have nothing to keep them alive for a day.”
He calls on those behind the airdrops: “If the intent is genuine, drop the aid in safe areas near the displaced, not in deadly zones. Only then could it be called a humanitarian response.”
A Media Curtain to Whitewash Starvation
Kamel al-Hayqi, a community activist displaced from Gaza City to the south, argues that the media spectacle around airdrops fabricates a false narrative of “humanitarian efforts” while Gaza is starved, denied safe corridors, and stripped of the right to life. “The images presented to the world are not reality. They are a media curtain to beautify the crime of starvation.”
Airdrops Conceal International Political Failure
From Cairo, researcher in Israeli affairs Riyad Halles views the airdrops within a broader political context: “They reflect the international community’s utter failure to pressure Israel to open crossings and allow aid safely and systematically.”
He continues: “There are no real political motives behind the drops—just political and diplomatic impotence. Many states today feel deep shame for their silence as Israel weaponizes hunger against civilians. Instead of confronting this, they resort to performative gestures like airdrops to appease their own publics.”
Yet Halles notes a shift in global awareness, as Western media increasingly show Gaza’s suffering—images of starving children and displaced families now lead front pages of major European newspapers. He cites a half-million-strong protest in Sydney, Australia, as evidence of a turning tide in public opinion.
By contrast, he says Arab media coverage remains “weak and disgraceful,” constrained by state control and fear of exposing the full extent of starvation and international inaction.
Managing Famine Under a False Humanitarian Mask
In a clear rights-based position, al-Dameer Association for Human Rights denounced the airdrops as “deceptive to global public opinion.”
Its statement declared: “These operations do not resolve the crisis but instead humiliate people by managing famine under a false humanitarian guise. We have documented severe injuries among civilians due to these drops, which constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law that demands respect for human dignity and prohibits the use of aid as a political tool.”
The group further noted that since 2 March 2025, Israel has escalated its starvation policy—blocking essential goods and targeting aid distribution centers—causing hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries. It urged the immediate opening of all crossings and UN-supervised aid delivery to ensure genuine humanitarian access.
A Call to Rethink Airdrop Mechanisms
Amid this grim reality, voices from the ground call for a complete reassessment of airdrop mechanisms, an end to media whitewashing, and the establishment of secure, sustainable corridors. As one resident put it: “Hunger does not fall from the sky. It is enforced on the ground.”
