Gaza, MINA – A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and several others injured on Saturday after an air-dropped aid box struck him in central Gaza, marking the fourth such fatal incident in recent days, according to medical sources, Anadolu Agency reported.
The victim, identified as Muhannad Eid, was hit in the head by a box in the Al-Nuwairi Hill area, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp. He was rushed to Al-Awda Hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The number of injured victims remains unknown.
This latest tragedy follows a series of similar incidents since multiple countries began parachuting aid into Gaza on July 16 amid an Israeli blockade that has pushed the enclave to the brink of famine.
Earlier the same day, another Palestinian died from injuries sustained the previous day in Gaza City’s Al-Yarmouk area. On Monday, a nurse was killed when a box fell on his tent in Al-Zawaida, and on Wednesday, an 11-year-old boy was killed in Khan Younis under similar circumstances.
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According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, at least 23 people have been killed and 124 injured by falling aid boxes since October 2023. The office noted that most packages landed in areas under Israeli control or in forcibly evacuated neighborhoods, putting civilians at risk of direct targeting. Some drops also fell into the sea last year, causing 13 drownings, or into crowded gatherings, making them dangerous and ineffective.
Officials have renewed calls for humanitarian aid, especially food, baby formula, medicine, and medical supplies to be delivered safely and in sufficient quantities via land crossings.
Humanitarian groups say air-drops are less effective than land deliveries and have caused chaos, damage, and fatalities. Israel has kept all Gaza crossings closed since March 2, blocking aid convoys despite hundreds of trucks waiting at the border. Only limited amounts have been allowed in, far below the level needed to avert famine.
The World Food Program warns that one-third of Gaza’s population has gone several days without food, describing the hunger levels as “unprecedented.” The UN says hundreds of aid trucks must enter daily to end the famine caused by the Israeli blockade and ongoing war.
Also Read: Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 61,300 as Israeli Offensive Enters Tenth Month
Since October 2023, more than 61,300 people have been killed in Gaza as Israel’s military aggression devastates the enclave. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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