The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) unequivocally rejects the airdropping of aid over the Gaza Strip, considering it nothing more than a deceptive political and humanitarian facade  for Israel’s deliberate and systematic mass starvation of the Palestinian population, an act that constitutes a blatant violation of international law.

After weeks of escalating starvation policy imposed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, the IOF announced that it had begun airdropping aid over Gaza—in a further attempt to mislead the international community about the worsening humanitarian catastrophe resulting from Israel’s systematic policies in the Strip.

PCHR asserts that the IOF’s announcement is a distortion of reality. It is the same military force responsible for systematically imposing starvation, a policy implemented by top Israeli political and military leadership from the very outset of the ongoing genocidal war. This intent was expressed clearly by former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stated: “No water, no food, no electricity, no fuel— all Palestinians are human animals.” Other Israeli officials have repeatedly declared that there is no distinction between civilians and combatants, and that all Palestinians must be made to suffer the consequences.

Moreover, it is the IOF that has been responsible for daily killings near the aid distribution points it established in high-risk areas in late May…The IOF continues to enforce restrictive policies that deprive over two million Palestinians of their right to access food. The same occupying forces responsible for the deaths of nearly 60,000 Palestinians, the injury of over 144,000 others, and the imposition of starvation as a political decision since the second day of the current military campaign, cannot credibly claim to be carrying out humanitarian efforts. Rather, these are clear attempts to manipulate and distract an increasingly outraged global public from Israel’s ongoing genocidal practices and the international complicity enabling them.

In this regard, PCHR’s Director, lawyer Raji al-Sourani, emphasizes that:

“Airdropping aid is an additional step that contributes to the humiliation of starving Palestinians. This policy constitutes a circumvention of the preliminary rulings issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which demand that Israel open border crossings without restrictions to allow the  entry of food, medical equipment, and humanitarian supplies to hospitals and patients. It also reveals a blatant submission to the humiliating conditions imposed by the IOF as part of the ongoing genocide against civilians. Netanyahu’s recent statements explicitly confirm that Israel deliberately continues starvation as a weapon of war.”

PCHR believes that airdropping aid—especially by Israel—is part of a broader strategy to conceal and distract from war crimes and crimes of genocide being committed on the ground. These airdrops fail to alleviate hunger or meet even the minimum humanitarian needs. The aid is severely limited in quantity, dropped into densely populated areas, and often triggers deadly clashes among desperate civilians. The process systematically degrades human dignity and endangers lives, particularly as the population is now concentrated into less than 15% of Gaza’s territory.

PCHR further asserts that these airdrops are no different from the Israeli/American aid points that have become sites of humiliation and death. These locations have turned into traps, resulting in the deaths of 1,132 Palestinians—including 14% of whom were children and 3% women—and injuries to over 7,521 others, alongside numerous missing persons and detainees.

PCHR emphasizes that airdropping aid will not resolve the deepening starvation that has led to the deaths of 133 Palestinians, including 87 children. On the contrary, this mechanism may claim the lives of starving civilians, as occurred during previous airdrops several months ago, which killed 18 Palestinians and injured dozens.

Israel’s deliberate disregard for the fundamental solution, which is opening Gaza’s crossings and allowing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel in sufficient quantities, constitutes a crime against humanity. The humanitarian needs of the population must neither be exploited nor addressed through performative acts that undermine human dignity and exacerbate their suffering.

PCHR calls on all states and bodies to refrain from engaging in this humiliating, unsafe, and ineffective mechanism that aligns with the IOF’s genocidal war.

PCHR also calls on the international community to take immediate action to open crossings safely and adequately, away from the Israeli humiliating conditions, and to ensure the flow of aid that preserves the lives and dignity of Palestinian civilians.

PCHR emphasizes that ending starvation can only be achieved by allowing unrestricted access of aid and goods to the Gaza Strip and enabling UN international agencies to perform their roles. This requires opening crossings, lifting the siege, ensuring safe movement, and stopping the Israeli bombing.

The Centre stresses that the international community’s responsibility goes beyond issuing statements; it requires taking meaningful, concrete actions to stop the forced starvation and hold Israel accountable for its ongoing crimes.