“More access of humanitarian aid is welcome, but let’s be clear: these are temporary measures,” he said. “What Gaza needs is an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the unhindered, sustained delivery of humanitarian aid, led by the UN, UNRWA and other international organisations.”
“This is a critical moment for the international community to act. We urgently need global pressure on Israel to comply with international humanitarian law, including ensuring safe, unfettered access for aid. Not risky airdrops. Not short-term pauses. We need a real, lasting pause, and safe aid delivery now.”
A matter of life and death
“This is a matter of survival in Gaza,” says Jamil. “Most hospitals are barely functioning. Medical staff are overwhelmed. There’s not enough water, not enough food. Babies are going without milk. Aid distributions sites have become death traps where people are being killed whilst trying to receive aid.”
“Even our own colleagues and partners have been forced to reduce their working hours to just three days a week. The limited aid we may manage to deliver in the coming days is nowhere near what is urgently needed. The long-term impact of war and starvation, particularly on women and children, will be profound and generational.”
Why air dropping aid doesn’t work
- Aid airdrops are dangerous, inefficient and no alternative to aid delivery by land. Land access to communities in Gaza exist but has deliberately been blocked by the Israeli government.
- Countries cannot hide behind airdrops to create the illusion that they are doing enough to support the need in Gaza. The only way to meet the unprecedented humanitarian needs is to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire and to ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access through all land crossings.
- Airdropping aid can be deadly. In 2024, a number of Palestinians in Gaza were killed or injured by falling crates of aid when their parachutes failed. Aid was also blown into the sea, resulting in people drowning while trying to reach it. People should never be forced to risk their lives while trying to access aid.
- It is impossible to deliver aid at scale via air drops. This method is highly inefficient and there is no way of guaranteeing it reaching those – such as women, children, disabled and elderly people – who need it most.
- Aid delivery must go hand in hand with an approach that protects the dignity of affected populations. It is not only about distributing food — it is about ensuring that communities have regular, predictable, and safe access to the essentials they need to survive and recover.
The impact of the aid blockade
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is the worst it’s ever been and worsening by the day. One in five children in Gaza city is malnourished, according to UNRWA. At least 45 people have died of malnutrition in the last four days.
Even our own ActionAid colleagues are dizzy with hunger and are struggling to feed their children even one meal a day. What we are seeing in Gaza is not a logistical challenge, it’s a deliberate obstruction of aid and a complete disregard for international humanitarian law.
The distribution scheme run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been proven to be deadly and inefficient. More than 1000 people have been killed while trying to access aid during the two months since its operations started. It is no substitute to the established, principled UN-led system which was able to deliver aid at 400 sites across Gaza before the Israeli authorities prevented it from operating.
The world must demand that Israel ends its blockade and allows aid to enter Gaza at scale, delivered and distributed through the principled, UN-led humanitarian system.
How you can help
Join the thousands of Australians who have signed our letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, asking him to take action on Gaza – you can add your name to the letter here.
And despite the aid blockade, we are still providing support to thousands of women and their families in Gaza right now. You can donate to our Gaza Crisis Appeal to support ActionAid’s humanitarian response in Gaza, and to help us be as prepared as possible to get aid in when the aid blockade lifts.