Parachute doesn’t open
Gaza aid delivery kills five people
March 8, 2024, 6:12 p.m
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Aid deliveries from the air are controversial in any case, and now there is a tragic incident in the Gaza Strip. Because a parachute doesn’t open, a package hurtles almost unchecked to the ground. In the end, at least five people die.
There has been a tragic accident during air deliveries of aid to the starving people in the Gaza Strip. Five people were killed by a load falling from the sky because the parachute did not open properly, as the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, confirmed on request.
Several people were also injured. Videos on social media showed how the large aid package fell to the ground practically unchecked. The deliveries seemed to get tangled in the air. In one of the packages the parachute opened, but not completely.
Last Saturday, the USA and other nations began dropping aid supplies of food from parachutes in view of the catastrophic supply situation, especially in the north of the embattled coastal strip. Jordan distanced itself from the incident. The state news agency reported, citing unnamed sources, that the technical error did not occur on any of the Jordanian aircraft involved.
As “Spiegel” reports, the Bundeswehr is also preparing to participate in the dropping of aid supplies for the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, concrete discussions have been underway for several days between the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense about commissioning the Air Force to carry out such flights to provide emergency care to the civilian population in the area.
The United Nations says it views dropping humanitarian aid as a last resort. The supply flights are associated with technical difficulties and enormous costs. However, according to the UN, the amount of aid delivered in February was halved compared to the previous month. United Nations officials warn that thousands of civilians are starving to death. According to aid organizations, trucks carrying relief supplies are repeatedly looted.