The unbearable suffering in northern Gaza – particularly when it comes to acute shortages of food and humanitarian supplies – requires creative and bold action that takes into account the complicated conditions on the ground. Continued fighting and IDF ground operations, as well as the difficulty in delivering and distributing humanitarian aid to the northern sector, have resulted in a severe lack of food for the majority of the estimated 300,000 civilians still trapped in the isolated and besieged north.
On February 25, after conducting several IDF-approved airdrops over its field hospital, Jordan, with French help, airdropped food along Gaza’s coastline using C-130 aircraft. This was the first time that airdrops were meant to be picked up by civilians who gathered in the thousands to collect whatever they could of the boxes and parcels that landed using small parachutes.
While this was a limited operation, it provides a blueprint for creative solutions that address a specific slice of the hardships in the north without interfering with Israeli operations. The continued IDF approval of Jordanian-led airdrops confirms that Israel does not object to the entry of food for civilians.
The Israeli military’s civilian administration arm, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), has repeatedly stated that food shortages in Gaza are due to delivery and distribution problems and the lack of expedient pickups by UN agencies.
On multiple occasions, COGAT published images of vast amounts of humanitarian aid and food supplies that had already been inspected by Israeli authorities but sat for days in open storage awaiting pickup and delivery.
Furthermore, aid theft and looting by Hamas and organized criminals have regularly resulted in food not making it to its intended destinations, and ultimately, to desperate civilians. The centralized distribution model whereby aid is brought into a primary warehouse or is simply trucked to population centers has created distressing scenes of thousands of people descending upon what little aid is available in a disorganized and chaotic fashion.
This makes it impossible for many civilians to obtain the bare minimum of food they need to survive. In addition to damaged infrastructure and limited delivery means and capacity, trucks often take predictable routes that are easier to interdict, placing their precious cargo at higher risk of being pilfered or stolen.
Food airdrops increase access to supplies
THIS IS where dispersed food airdrops can be incredibly valuable in overcoming the problems associated with the aforementioned. Instead of relying on centralized distribution that requires lengthy supply chains and makes aid easier to steal, airdropping humanitarian supplies and food directly over the civilian population increases the chance that hungry civilians can quickly access this aid before Hamas or other nefarious players snatch it. Food airdrops have been carried out for decades in various conflict zones, particularly by the UN and its World Food Program (WFP) to deliver critical food and supplies in areas that are otherwise inaccessible.
Airdrops are a last resort because they are less efficient than delivering cargo by land or sea. However, they can be stunningly effective as an immediate and short-term option to bypass distribution and logistical problems in times of conflict and can be immensely helpful for civilians who are unreachable by aid agencies. That the IDF has already approved over a dozen Jordanian airdrops, with French, Dutch, and British participation and support, indicates the Israeli military and war commanders would be willing to allow larger-scale airdrops which can significantly make a difference and prevent a seemingly inevitable famine.
Arab countries and partners, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as European allies and the United States, can participate in large-scale efforts to airdrop food across multiple zones in Northern Gaza. Most importantly, Israel must invite the WFP to conduct food airdrops, especially since Finance Minister Smotrich announced his intention to release held-up flour shipments to the UN agency instead of to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Not only does the WFP have vast experience with airdrops in South Sudan and numerous other conflicts, but the agency can also quickly position aerial assets to pick up critical food supplies and rapidly airdrop them throughout Northern Gaza.
Additionally, the UN has a Humanitarian Response Depot in the UAE and a massive warehouse in Jordan with vast stockpiles of food and desperately needed humanitarian supplies that can be used for the airdrops. This makes both countries that have effective working relations with Israel suitable staging points for Gaza-bound airdrop flights. The C-130 or Ilyushin IL-76 could reliably carry significant amounts of food that could be airdropped at or near large intersections, stadiums, areas near parks, wide streets, open fields, UN facilities, and schools where people shelter, and areas that civilians frequent.
IDF INTELLIGENCE can help in the selection of airdrop zones based on combat operations, planned activities and visual confirmation of civilian presence. Instead of using parachutes, which can be expensive, initial airdrops should focus on free-falling bags of food containing flour, legumes, and other items that could survive a hard landing.
The goal is to make a large number of airdrops that can also be reasonably cost-effective, and thus, it might be necessary to minimize the use of parachutes and expensive drop pallets. Dispersed airdrops can minimize the risk of aid theft and interception, given the unpredictability of their location, though airdrops should be announced in advance, so people know they are happening.
While it is impossible to guarantee that no airdropped aid would be taken by individual Hamas members, this method makes it substantially harder for the Islamist group to rip food bags and parcels out of civilian hands once it’s been collected shortly after hitting the ground. Footage from the Jordanian airdrop on February 25 along Gaza’s Northern coast showed massive numbers of civilians, including young men and boys, rushing to the scene of dropped aid and quickly collecting the food without Hamas interference.
However, future airdrops should avoid coastal areas because some of the boxes and parcels landed in the water and were either damaged or difficult to retrieve. Airdrops over land can take place safely and effectively, especially to reach civilians who cannot make it to the coastal areas.
The Israeli government has an interest in preventing widespread starvation and famine in Northern Gaza, which is isolated from the rest of the coastal enclave, and virtually no aid reaches this part of the Strip. Israel is under immense diplomatic pressure from the US, European allies, and the international community, particularly after the International Court of Justice’s preliminary call for Israel to take steps that reduce suffering and “prevent genocide” in Gaza.
Food airdrops into Northern Gaza would reduce some of the pressure on Israel and show that it is proactively working with partners, allies, and the UN to alleviate some of the humanitarian suffering of a population that is held hostage due to circumstances over which it has no control. Israeli-approved food airdrops could prevent famine in Gaza.
The writer is a US citizen from Gaza and a Middle East political analyst who writes extensively on Gaza’s political and strategic affairs.