New York – Saba:
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini confirmed on Friday that the only way to respond to famine is to flood Gaza with aid.
Lazzarini explained in a blog post on X that "the cost of airdropping aid is at least 100 times higher than the cost of trucks."
Lazzarini added, "Trucks carry twice the amount of aid as planes."
He said, "If there is political will to allow airdrops of aid—which are extremely expensive, insufficient, and ineffective—then there must be a similar political will to open the land crossings."
He continued, "While the people of Gaza are dying of hunger, the only way to respond to famine is to flood Gaza with aid."
Lazzarini pointed out that UNRWA, the largest UN agency on the ground, has 6,000 trucks loaded with aid stuck outside Gaza awaiting the green light to enter.
He pointed out that the United Nations, including UNRWA and its partners, was able to bring in between 500 and 600 trucks daily during the ceasefire earlier this year, and that aid reached all Gazans safely and with dignity. It succeeded in halting the worsening famine without any aid diversion.
He said, "Let's get back to what works and do our job. This is what the people of Gaza need today more than ever, in addition to a permanent ceasefire."
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli enemy, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to stop it.
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