Spain air-drops 12 tonnes of food aid over Gaza

Spain said Friday it had air-dropped 12 tonnes of food into Gaza, where UN-backed experts say famine is unfolding.

The mission deployed 24 parachutes, each carrying 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of food—enough to feed 11,000 people—Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said in a video message posted on social network X, along with footage of the operation.

Spain also has aid waiting to cross into Gaza by road from Egypt, he added.

“The induced famine that the people of Gaza are suffering is a disgrace to all of humanity,” Albares said. “Israel must open all land crossings permanently so that humanitarian aid can enter on a massive scale.”

Spain joins other Western countries, including Britain and France, that have partnered with Middle Eastern nations to deliver humanitarian supplies by air to the war-battered enclave.

But the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that airdrops alone would not prevent famine. “Airdrops are at least 100 times more costly than trucks. Trucks carry twice as much aid as planes,” he wrote on X.

While Israel has recently allowed more aid trucks into Gaza, humanitarian groups say Israeli authorities could significantly speed up border inspections and open more crossings.

Concerns over hunger have escalated in the past week, as the war in Gaza surpasses 21 months. The conflict began after Hamas carried out a deadly attack against Israel in October 2023.

UN-backed experts warned Tuesday that a “worst-case scenario” famine was already unfolding and could not be reversed unless aid organizations were given immediate and unimpeded access.