Five civilians were killed by falling aid parcels in northern Gaza as parachute failed to deploy
By richardbrown // 2024-03-14
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Tragedy struck in the Gaza airdrop as five civilians lost their lives when a parachute carrying aid parcels failed to deploy. The incident occurred at the Al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza. Reports from CBS, citing unnamed officials from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, revealed that among the victims were two young boys. The unfortunate event transpired when one parachute failed to properly deploy, resulting in aid parcels falling on the unsuspecting civilians. A journalist present at the scene confirmed the deaths to CNN, though they were unable to determine which nation was responsible for the airdrop. Muhammad Al-Sheikh, Head of Emergency Care Department at Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, corroborated the tragic news by confirming the five civilian deaths. Additionally, 10 other individuals, ranging in age from 30 to 50, sustained injuries in the incident, with some in serious condition and requiring hospitalization, as reported by CNN. (Related: War on Gaza: Israeli ‘massacre’ kills over 100 Palestinians seeking food in Gaza City.) The State Department, seeking to clarify the situation, informed DailyMail.com that the aid drop in question did not originate from the United States. The U.S. was part of a group of six nations that initiated sending aid parcels to the war-torn region. Jordan, Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Belgium were also contributors to this humanitarian effort.

Aid parcels plummet like a rocket, hit a residential building

A video circulating on social media captured the airdrop, showing a cluster of parcels suspended from parachutes. However, one parachute malfunctioned, causing the aid parcels to descend much faster than the others, ultimately striking a residential building. The airdrop involved three planes from Air Forces Central dropping 66 bundles containing approximately 38,000 meals into Gaza. The bundles were dispersed in southwest Gaza along the territory's Mediterranean coast. The airdrop operation was coordinated with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which reported conducting two food airdrops the following day in northern Gaza. A witness described the aftermath, stating that they had followed one of the parachuted packages in the hope of obtaining a bag of flour. Unfortunately, the parachute failed to open, causing the package to plummet "like a rocket" onto the roof of a house. The witness added that shortly thereafter, they saw people transferring three deceased individuals and others who were injured and seeking refuge on the roof where the aid packages had fallen. Three Biden administration officials said the planes dropped military Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), which are shelf-stable meals containing a day's worth of calories in each sealed package. These airdrops aimed to provide civilians with safe access to aid during the ongoing conflict. The U.S., closely monitoring the sites, witnessed civilians approaching and distributing food among themselves after the airdrop. The U.S. views these airdrops as a crucial step in addressing the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, although it acknowledges that they are not a substitute for ground transport, which can deliver more aid more effectively. The airdrop follows Biden's announcement that the U.S. military would build a temporary pier on Gaza's Mediterranean coast to receive shipments of humanitarian aid. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby emphasized that the airdrops were planned to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance safely to people on the ground, with expectations that they would be the first of many. Despite these efforts, the United Nations has warned of a looming famine among Gaza's 2.3 million residents as the conflict with Israel persists. Israel's restrictions on the entry of food, water, medicine and other supplies since the beginning of the war on October 7 have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, with only a limited amount of aid entering through the Rafah crossing from Egypt and Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing. Watch this report about the humanitarian crisis in Northern Gaza. This video is from the Contrarian channel on Brighteon.com.

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