BERLIN, Aug 1 (Bernama-dpa) — German military aircraft have begun dropping aid over the Gaza Strip, the Defence Ministry said on Friday, as Berlin joins international efforts to relieve the dire humanitarian situation in the sealed-off Palestinian territory, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
German transport aircraft dropped 34 pallets containing almost 14 tonnes of food and medical supplies over the area, the ministry said.
The airdrops come amid mounting international concern over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of famine.
However, aid organisations have criticised airborne relief efforts as largely symbolic, arguing that they are inefficient and incapable of meeting the massive needs on the ground.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged the limited impact of Germany’s contribution, calling the airdrops a “small” effort relative to the scale of the crisis.
Still, he defended the mission as a necessary gesture.
“It is an important signal: We are there, we are in the region, we are helping,” he said earlier this week.
Israel, which maintains control over Gaza’s borders, has significantly restricted aid deliveries for months, allowing little to no humanitarian access to the coastal territory.
— BERNAMA-dpa
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