Can an airlift alleviate the famine in Gaza?
The US has begun delivering aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip by air. On Saturday 38,000 meals were reportedly dropped over the war zone. Washington is apparently planning a large-scale operation for the coming weeks.
Utterly inadequate
Airlifts cannot solve the famine in Gaza, La Stampa complains:
“Dropping aid from the air is expensive, inefficient and completely inadequate to feed two million people who have nowhere to go. There is no telling who will receive the aid and who will be excluded. It's also risky because it arrives unannounced and is dropped over the heads of hundreds of thousands of people who know there won't be food for everyone. ... Videos show civilians looking up at the sky, running towards the beach and scrambling for food. ... The image of a famine that according to the United Nations is 'almost inevitable'.”
Aid operation as a figleaf
For De Standaard the airlift highlights the indecision of the international community:
“The aid airlift shows that both the US and Europe lack the political conviction to force Israel to respect the basic laws of war. Deliveries by air are the last resort for humanitarian operations. ... If a ceasefire is not agreed soon and aid isn't delivered quickly, the disgrace of Gaza will taint not only Israel but also any claim by its allies to adhere to the laws of war.”
Courageous journalists called for
Svenska Dagbladet bemoans the lack of balanced reporting on events in Gaza but sees new trends emerging:
“The Swedish Broadcasting Corporation's correspondent reported that the war launched by Hamas has led to people starving in Gaza, and that anger against Hamas is growing; there are spontaneous protests in which desperate people are demonstrating. ... But why has it been so quiet so far? According to Swedish Radio, only very few journalists in Gaza dare to report on the demonstrations against Hamas. Journalists are afraid of being labelled 'pro-Israeli traitors'. It will be interesting to see which Swedish journalists dare to defy this label.”
Time is of the essence
Washington must exert more pressure on Israel, the Irish Independent insists:
“Never has there been a greater need for adroit US leadership. The president must press for firm steps towards accepting an eventual independent Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank. The enclave is being pulverised, and many of its people are starving.The toll on Gaza's children is devastating, and time is not on their side.”