12 people drown trying to reach aid off Gaza coast

Video footage of the airdrop shows crowds of people running towards the beach in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza as the aid boxes are dropped into the sea. The footage also shows people standing in the water, despite the danger, and bodies being dragged onto the sand.

Palestinians walk to the sea to receive airdropped aid in the northern Gaza Strip, March 25. Photo: Reuters

This is the latest in a series of incidents involving casualties during aid deliveries to the heavily populated Palestinian area, where some people are foraging for weeds or processing animal feed to survive.

A note accompanying the aid on March 25 said the airdrop was from the U.S. In Washington, the Pentagon said three of the 18 aid packages dropped into Gaza on March 25 malfunctioned and fell into the water, but could not confirm whether anyone died trying to reach them.

The video shows the body of a young man being dragged onto the beach, eyes open but motionless, and a man performing chest compressions in the hope that the young man can escape.

"He swam to get food for his child and he died for that. They should provide aid through land routes. Why are they doing this to us?" said an unnamed man on the beach.

Aid agencies say Gaza has received only about 20 percent of the aid it needs as Israel continues its air and ground attacks, plunging parts of the region into famine. Aid deliveries by air or sea cannot replace the vital supplies that arrive by land through Israel or Egypt.

Delivering aid to Gaza is complicated, especially in the north. Last month, health authorities in Gaza accused the Israeli military of killing more than 100 people as they tried to receive aid from a convoy. Israel denied the report, saying the deaths were caused by a stampede or being run over by a vehicle.

Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/12-nguoi-palestine-chet-duoi-khi-co-ra-lay-hang-vien-tro-ngoai-khoi-bo-bien-gaza-post289313.html