Gaza airlift food program: Expensive and risky

WFP: High risk of injury, high costs

"In overcrowded humanitarian zones, an orderly distribution of aid by air is hardly possible - the risk of injury is high and the costs are 34 times higher than for land transportation," said Frick.

The German Armed Forces want to drop goods over the Gaza Strip again today. Other countries are also currently doing this to reach starving people on the ground.

"Worst hunger since the beginning of the war"

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "a new dimension of horror", lamented Frick. "We are seeing the worst hunger since the beginning of the war: one in three people has not eaten for days, half a million people are on the brink of starvation. Children are already dying of malnutrition."

After weeks of blockade, the WFP warehouses in the Gaza Strip are empty, said Frick. Trucks from the program are stuck at checkpoints for hours because permits are issued slowly, or have to take dangerous routes through active combat zones.

Frick: Much more humanitarian aid by land would be possible

"We have proven that large-scale humanitarian aid is possible in Gaza by land - if we are allowed to work," emphasized Frick. During the ceasefire, the WFP was able to bring up to 700 trucks into the Gaza Strip every day and supply over 400 distribution points with relief supplies.

"This ensures that aid reaches the people who need it most - children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities." More than 170,000 tons of food are near the border or on their way - enough to supply the entire population of Gaza for three months.

"What we need are open border crossings, quick permits and safe corridors - without an armed presence. At least 100 trucks a day, via all available routes, with clear coordination," demanded Frick. "This is the only way we can regain people's trust, reopen soup kitchens and bakeries and avert a famine."