Aid airdrop in Gaza kills 14-year-old boy, local medics say
A 14-year-old boy in the Gaza Strip was killed after being struck by an aid package dropped from the air, the local health authority said on Saturday.
The incident occurred near the Nuseirat refugee district in central Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The information could not be independently verified.
Following months of blocked aid deliveries, Israel has since late last month allowed limited airdrops and, to a smaller extent, land transport into Gaza.
On Friday, Palestinian officials said six people, mostly children, were injured in Gaza City when a falling aid box hit a balcony, causing it to collapse.
The airdrops are controversial, with critics calling them inefficient and dangerous. Far more supplies could be safely delivered by truck if Israel allowed it, aid groups say.
But lorry deliveries are also considered unreliable, with many shipments looted before reaching those in greatest need, by both civilians and armed groups.
According to the Israeli military, on Saturday aircraft from Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan dropped 106 boxes of aid over Gaza.
