August 2, 2025 | 03:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, JAKARTA - The French military has begun airlifting humanitarian aid to Gaza, but French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that such efforts are insufficient to address the growing famine, as stated on Friday.
"Airdrops are not enough. Israel must allow full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine," Macron wrote on X, referring to France’s food airdrop operation in the Gaza Strip.
This statement follows the Israeli military’s recent announcement that it would allow limited humanitarian airlifts into Gaza. The military also introduced what it called a “local tactical pause in military activity” in certain areas of the Gaza Strip to facilitate aid deliveries.
Earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that France would begin airlifting aid to Gaza starting Friday. According to Barrot, four flights will deliver a total of 40 tons of emergency supplies.
Germany has also joined the effort. In a joint statement, the German Foreign and Defense Ministries confirmed that German military aircraft carried out the first aid airdrops to residents in Gaza.
The initial two flights delivered 34 pallets containing nearly 14 tons of food and medicine, donated by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO).
However, the German government stressed that airlifts alone cannot meet the overwhelming humanitarian needs. The statement reiterated Germany’s call for Israel to open access for ground aid, citing the complexity and limitations of military-led airdrop operations.
Juliette Touma, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), voiced concerns over the current reliance on military airdrops, warning that the method is "dangerous for civilians," as reported by Al Jazeera.
In an interview, Touma said the UN must be allowed to fulfill its humanitarian mandate. She argued that the "much easier" solution to deliver food to Gaza’s two million residents is for Israel to open its borders to aid trucks.
Her concerns were echoed by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, who pointed out that airlifts are "at least 100 times more costly than trucks." He also explained, "Trucks carry twice as much aid as planes," and noted that UNRWA currently has 6,000 aid trucks ready to enter the famine-affected area.
"If there is political will to allow airdrops – which are highly costly, insufficient & inefficient, there should be similar political will to open the road crossings," Lazzarini posted on social media.
"As the people of #Gaza are starving to death, the only way to respond to the famine is to flood Gaza with assistance," he added.
On Saturday, August 2, 2025, three more children and one adult died from "starvation and malnutrition," raising the hunger-related death toll in Gaza to 163. Among the dead are 93 children.
The latest victim was 17-year-old Atef Abu Khater, who died of malnutrition, according to medical sources at al-Shifa Hospital.
Abu Khater had been admitted to the intensive care unit earlier this week. Media reports cited his father's account that he had stopped responding to treatment. Before the war, he was reportedly in good health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously reported a sharp rise in malnutrition-related deaths in Gaza, including 21 infant deaths since the beginning of 2025.
According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, acute malnutrition now affects more than 10 percent of Gaza’s population.
Over 20 percent of pregnant and lactating women are also suffering from malnutrition, many in severe condition. Tedros warned that the famine is deepening as aid deliveries remain halted and humanitarian access continues to be restricted.
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