Airdrops: Neither helpful nor beneficial

Dr. Ahed Farwana: Airdrops, humanitarian corridors, and temporary ceasefires are attempts to manage the crisis, not solve it, and the Gazans have not seen any fundamental change.

Sawsan Sarour: Recent days have witnessed an unprecedented global campaign against Israel, as the results of its starvation policy in the Gaza Strip begin to emerge.

Dr. Rifat Sayed Ahmed: The airdrops are a cover-up for the crisis, and their coincidence with the killing of people while they were trying to obtain them is a double crime.

Dr. Amal Jabbour: The airdrops represent a political, diplomatic, and humanitarian failure in managing a complex crisis and embody international and Arab incompetence.

Amir Makhoul: The top priority must be saving the lives of the people of Gaza, and there is a real opportunity to use this aid as a means of pressure on Israel.

Ismat Mansour: What we must strive for is continued international pressure to bring in aid in an organized manner, and for the United Nations and its organizations to assume responsibility for distributing it.

The famine in the Gaza Strip, and the high number of deaths due to hunger and malnutrition, have shaken global public opinion. International pressure, particularly from European countries, has been brought to bear on the far-right Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. This has brought the issue of airdrops of aid back to the forefront, raising questions about whether this move is actually helping save civilian lives, or whether it is merely a means of playing catch-up, buying time, and easing international pressure on Israel.

Political writers and analysts who spoke to "I" believe that airdrops of aid, although they may partially alleviate the famine, do not constitute a real solution. They stressed that what must be sought is continued international pressure to bring in aid in an organized manner, and for the United Nations and its humanitarian organizations to assume responsibility for distributing it. They consider airdrops, humanitarian corridors, and even temporary truces to be attempts to manage the crisis, not to solve it. They pointed out that the residents of Gaza have not witnessed any fundamental change, and that the state of famine continues to afflict the Palestinian people.

They pointed out that "in the last week, the intensity of diplomatic statements and positions denouncing the policy of starvation and demanding an end to the war and the entry of aid into the Strip has escalated, while Israel's diplomatic position has collapsed globally due to mounting criticism of the way it is managing the war in Gaza, even from its closest traditional allies in Europe, such as Britain and Germany. Therefore, the Netanyahu government declared a "humanitarian truce," under which it allowed a meager amount of aid into the Gaza Strip, whether by airdrop or via a small number of trucks, with the aim of throwing dust in the eyes and trying to escape the state of global congestion and worrying international isolation that Israel has become, which has also affected its citizens in their tourist areas, not just its right-wing government."

An attempt to alleviate international pressure

Dr. Ahed Farwana, a journalist and political analyst specializing in Israeli affairs, emphasized that "the airdrop of aid is the result of significant pressure, particularly from European countries, given the famine in the Gaza Strip. This pressure has begun to mobilize global public opinion due to the high number of deaths and malnutrition suffered by our people in the Strip."

He pointed out that Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to circumvent these Western calls to end the famine and allow aid into the country, with the aim of easing international pressure on him at this stage.

Farwana added: "The airdrop operation is not new. It occurred last year, but in none of the previous cases did it constitute a real rescue of the humanitarian situation. Rather, it was merely a show-off rather than an actual operation to save people from famine."

He also explained that the so-called "humanitarian corridors" Netanyahu is discussing also fall within the framework of an attempt to alleviate international pressure and claim that he is trying to find solutions to the famine crisis in the Strip. He emphasized that the reality inside Gaza reveals that all of these measures are attempts to circumvent pressure, without leading to any real improvement in the situation.

Entry of goods and aid through international institutions

Analyst Farwana believes that escaping the famine requires bringing in all goods and aid through international organizations, most notably the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), given its extensive experience in aid distribution.

He added that people in Gaza, in the early stages of last year's war, were not suffering from the current needs, due to the effective role of UNRWA, which Netanyahu is trying to undermine.

Farwana explained that the airdrops, humanitarian corridors, and even temporary ceasefires are all attempts to manage the crisis, not resolve it. He noted that Gaza residents have not seen any fundamental change, and that the famine continues to plague the Palestinian people.

Regarding international action to halt the massacres and allow the flow of aid, analyst Farwana responded that this depends on the extent to which European countries are convinced that Netanyahu's actions do not represent a real solution, but rather an attempt to buy time and manage the situation without addressing any substantive issues.

He stressed that "if these countries want to uphold their humanity and contribute to saving the Palestinian people, they must realize that what is happening is merely crisis management. Therefore, it is imperative that they increase pressure on the Netanyahu government to allow the entry of all goods and aid."

Farwana concluded his remarks by saying: “The two-state solution conference has a huge task ahead of it, not just humanitarian, but political as well. The issue should not be reduced, in the eyes of European countries, to merely providing humanitarian aid, despite its importance at this stage. Rather, it must be accompanied by political solutions that end the war and establish a real political path, because the absence of such a path means the continuation of the suffering of the Gaza Strip indefinitely.”

A diplomatic "flood" against starvation and genocide

For her part, journalist Sawsan Sarour, an observer and critic of the Israeli political scene, confirmed that recent days have witnessed an unprecedented global campaign against Israel, as the results of its starvation policy imposed on the Gaza Strip begin to emerge. The starvation victims, particularly children, whose images have been featured prominently in various media outlets, particularly in the Israeli and European press.

She said: "Despite the Israeli Foreign Ministry's attempt to deny these images, claiming they were artificially fabricated, and the denial by the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, and even the inability of the "master of propaganda," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to appear before the media, as he had previously done, his media prowess has also faded, and he has failed miserably to refute the horrific images of famine spreading throughout the Gaza Strip."

She continued: "The Israeli scene has been overshadowed over the past week by a dangerous diplomatic deluge, with an escalation in diplomatic statements and positions condemning the starvation policy and demanding an end to the war and the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a strict blockade since March 2."

Journalist Surour sees what Israel is experiencing as an "unprecedented diplomatic crisis" due to its escalation of the war in Gaza. Israel's diplomatic standing has collapsed globally amid mounting criticism of its handling of the war in Gaza, even from its closest traditional allies in Europe, such as Britain and Germany.

She explained that "to ease the pressure on it, Israel declared a 'humanitarian truce,' under which it allowed a meager amount of aid into the Gaza Strip, either by airdrop or via a small number of trucks, with the aim of throwing dust in the eyes and trying to escape the state of global tension and worrying international isolation that Israel has become, which has also affected its citizens in tourist areas outside the country, not just its right-wing government."

Netanyahu creates crises and moves between them..!

Sarour stressed that Netanyahu remains the expert in igniting fires and the failure in extinguishing them. He is the one who creates crises and moves between them without resolving them radically. Sometimes he falls into the traps he has set for others, but in the end, he emerges like a malicious magician, in a new guise, to continue and search for the new area in which to ignite his fire and create his new crisis. All of this is in order to remain in power, no matter the cost and no matter how dire the consequences are for his people and the pillars of the state. Perhaps this is where the idea of a “humanitarian truce” came from.

She stated that according to United Nations organizations, the Gaza Strip needs approximately 600 aid trucks daily, and there are estimates that the daily need during this period of war in Gaza is 10,000 tons of aid, which is equivalent to the load of 1,000 trucks. The United Nations itself announced that the amount of aid expected to enter Gaza is sufficient for the people of the Strip for 3 months, but the Israeli authorities are preventing its entry.

Sarour pointed out that "since the beginning of the airdrops that Israel allowed to be dropped on Gaza, it became clear that their fate was one of four: either they fell into the sea, they fell in combat zones, or they were looted by gangs under the eyes of the Israeli army. Very few reached the starving people in Gaza, not to mention the large number of wounded, noting that eighteen Palestinians were martyred in previous airdrops."

"Air crumbs" won't help.

Journalist Surour considered that "the airdrop, or more precisely the 'airdrops' operation, which consists of a handful and crumbs of aid, in which a number of Arab and Western countries are also participating, will be useless. It is nothing more than a show for the international community to vent, and a make-up for the occupation, to consolidate and engineer the siege, as the Israeli army is planning, in a step that may pave the way for the next phase of the war against Gaza."

She stressed that "the Israeli government neither wants nor is interested in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but rather in perpetuating it and managing it in its own way. Perhaps its failure of the negotiations held over 18 consecutive days in Doha was an indication of what it plans for Gaza's future."

The Netanyahu government will not succumb to international pressure without sanctions being imposed on it.

She pointed out that "the actions of some European countries, especially French President Macron's announcement regarding the recognition of the Palestinian state and the subsequent advanced position of Britain, the UN meeting and the decision to establish a Palestinian state, the Israeli government's reaction, which categorically rejects all these striking global developments, and the dripping of aid, whether through airdrops or crossing relief, are all indicators that the far-right government led by Netanyahu is not willing to yield and stop the massacre in Gaza. They will not increase the flow of aid to the people of the Strip, as long as all these pressures are not accompanied by practical sanctions against the Israeli government and its pillars."

Sarour concluded her statement by saying, "The occupation wants to manage the famine in Gaza, not end it. There is only one way to end the famine in Gaza, and that is a comprehensive and general ceasefire in the entire Gaza Strip. This means a comprehensive ceasefire in terms of time and place, a complete opening of all crossings without limiting the number of trucks entering Gaza, and thirdly, for UN organizations to take over the distribution task, as was done in previous years."

Stop the genocide and withdraw the occupation completely from Gaza

For his part, Egyptian strategic expert Dr. Refaat Sayed Ahmed asserted that providing aid via airdrops is a cover for the crisis, not a solution. Rather, it is a form of first-rate Israeli and American procrastination, designed to create the false impression that aid is continuing, which is not true.

He explained that real assistance to the Palestinians lies in halting the ongoing massacres, halting the genocide, and completely withdrawing the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip. Then, the decision should be returned to the Palestinian people the next day, all crossings should be opened to the flow of humanitarian aid, and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip should begin. This is the natural and logical plan.

Sayed Ahmed added: "The simultaneous airdrop of aid, coupled with the killing of people attempting to obtain it, is a double crime—both cover-up and criminality—adding to a series of previous crimes, most notably the massacres that have claimed the lives of nearly a quarter of a million martyrs and wounded during this war."

International action to stop the massacres is still below the required level.

He pointed out that the broad international effort to halt the massacres remains below the required level, saying, "I believe that most of the efforts will be aimed at clearing the conscience, through international conferences in Washington or in some European or even Arab and Islamic capitals. However, they will mostly be aimed at clearing the conscience, not at achieving real action."

Sayed Ahmed stressed that Palestinians today need real steps, starting with halting the massacres, followed by opening the crossings, considering that anything other than that amounts to nothing more than formal conferences.

He said, "We will witness many more conferences of this kind in the coming period, but their outcome will be the same: continued killing and slaughter, with approximately 100 martyrs and hundreds more wounded daily, in addition to continued hunger, thirst, and suffering."

Regarding solutions, Dr. Sayed Ahmed emphasized that action must be taken through political, economic, and even military means by surrounding Arab countries. He explained that this includes steps such as completely severing ties with the United States and Israel, and halting all forms of political and economic normalization.

He stressed the importance of these countries feeling popular and official pressure to halt this decline, noting that one form of pressure should be the threat of force, though it doesn't necessarily have to be used. However, the mere threat of force gives the impression that this nation is still alive and not the dead nation it may currently appear to be.

Sayed Ahmed concluded his remarks to "I" by saying: "The only way now is to sever political and economic normalization with America and Israel, and threaten to use force. Only then might the massacre of the Palestinian people stop."

A direct insult to the people of Gaza and to the Arab people

Jordanian journalist and writer Dr. Amal Jabour believes that the airdrops of aid to the Gaza Strip represent a political, diplomatic, and humanitarian failure in managing a complex crisis and cannot be considered a solution by any humanitarian or ethical standards.

She said: "This mechanism embodies the international and Arab inability to impose effective political solutions, transforming the issue from a tragedy that must be ended into a crisis that can be temporarily contained. The bigger problem is that it constitutes a direct insult to the people of Gaza, who are being bombed, besieged, and starved, only to be showered with aid from the sky as if they were outside of history and dignity."

Dr. Jabour believes that the insult is not limited to the residents of the Gaza Strip, but extends to the Arab people in general, at a time when Arab countries possess vast resources, open ports, and massive logistical capabilities, yet are unable to impose a permanent safe passage for the most basic necessities of life. Furthermore, this method does not guarantee the adequate or regular delivery of aid and lacks even the most basic level of organization and oversight.

Gaza needs to end the war and the siege once and for all.

She stressed that "despite the clarity of the official and popular Arab position calling for an end to the aggression against Gaza, the absence of effective pressure tools, along with the absence of a unified Palestinian position, renders this position politically untranslatable."

Jabour pointed out that "what Gaza needs is not just airdrops and decisions to open the crossings and ensure the flow of aid, but rather an end to the war and the blockade once and for all, and to hold the occupation accountable. This is the true test of the dignity of the Arab people and the credibility of the international community and international law, all of whose moral and humanitarian standards have been undermined by the Gaza wall."

The European effort seems very serious.

Amir Makhoul, an expert on Israeli affairs at the Progress Center for Policy Studies, emphasized that "the European effort appears very serious, with countries such as Britain, France, and Germany considering taking action after US President Donald Trump declared that 'the people in Gaza are hungry, and the children are hungry.'"

He said: "The issue should not be viewed solely in terms of whether aid is provided drip-feeds or not. This aid is essential. The problem lies in the fact that Israel, through its military presence in the Gaza Strip, has built an infrastructure for internal Palestinian fighting and conflict over aid, particularly airdrops, to the exclusion of humanitarian organizations, most notably UNRWA."

Makhoul pointed out that "Israel, in addition, has encouraged the emergence of militias and strengthened regionalism in Gaza, which complicates the delivery of aid."

On the other hand, Makhoul believes there is a real opportunity to use this aid as a means of pressure on Israel, preventing it from exploiting it as a cover for the continuation of the war. Through this aid, Israel is attempting to improve its image in the eyes of international public opinion and buy time while pursuing other projects, including expanding the buffer zone and annexing additional parts of the Gaza Strip.

Marking the end of the "Humanitarian City" project and the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation"

He stressed that he does not downplay the importance of this aid, but the fundamental question is how it is received by Palestinians in Gaza, and whether it actually reaches those who need it and prevents the deaths of thousands of them. If so, it must be supported, but with the emphasis that this aid signals the end of the "Humanitarian City" project and the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," both of which aim to displace people.

Makhoul explained that "the delivery of aid by land has not yet taken place, and that the matter depends on Israel. Egypt is ready from Arish, Jordan is ready via landing, as are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. There is no country in the region that is unable or unwilling to help, but the matter depends on Israel and whether it will open the crossings from the Palestinian side."

He added that the Egyptian side is opening the Rafah crossing, but the challenge is whether Israel will allow the crossing to be opened on its side and allow the entry of aid and the real distributors—that is, international and local organizations, not groups it established for security or political purposes.

He emphasized that this issue remains unresolved and requires additional effort. The first step is to demand media access to Gaza. This must be a universal international demand, because the image conveyed by the media is radically different from what is happening on the ground. This is despite the fact that the media landscape has undergone a major transformation, and the images emerging from Gaza are now beyond Israeli control, leaving Israel besieged by these scenes.

Makhoul concluded by saying, "This situation requires Palestinian political cunning, a more responsible approach to the negotiation process, and not missing the opportunity to conclude a real deal, even while recognizing that the balance of power is tilted in favor of Israel and the United States. However, negotiation is not only the art of logic, but also the art of achieving the possible. Therefore, the top priority must be saving the life of every Palestinian, every day."

Part of the war department

For his part, Ismat Mansour, a journalist specializing in Israeli affairs, believes that providing aid via airdrops is not part of the solution to the crisis, but rather part of managing the war.

He said that this step, in practice, is a tool of war, as Israel feels that the entire world is disturbed and pressuring it due to the images of famine, the scenes of people rushing by the tens of thousands for aid, and the scenes of children dying of hunger.

Mansour added that Israel sought to divert attention from these painful scenes and replace them with images showing the arrival of aid and the unloading of food shipments. It also sought to buy time and legitimize its next steps, especially as the deal negotiations entered a crisis and were on the verge of collapse.

He pointed out that this aid, while it may partially alleviate the famine, does not constitute a real solution, emphasizing that what must be pursued is continued international pressure to ensure the orderly delivery of aid, with the United Nations and its humanitarian organizations responsible for distributing it.

Mansour also stressed the need to separate the issue of humanitarian aid from any pressure Israel exerts on Hamas or from its war against the Palestinian people.

International action is important, and the world is fed up with scenes of genocide and starvation.

He emphasized that the international movement is significant and important, and that the world has grown weary of these scenes. This movement is beginning to show its impact, as it has plunged Israel into an unprecedented crisis in terms of its image and reputation globally, placing it in a state of decline and exposing it to a torrent of condemnation.

Mansour concluded his remarks by saying, "This change in the international stance is due to the heavy price paid by innocent people, and it must be effectively invested in politically and humanitarianly."

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