France to airlift aid into famine-hit Gaza in the coming days
France is set to air-drop aid into Gaza in the coming days, according to a diplomatic source quoted by French news agency AFP on Tuesday. This move comes as UN-backed experts warned that the Israeli-blockaded Palestinian territory is on the brink of famine.
Concern has escalated in the past week about hunger in Gaza after more than 21 months of war.
"France will carry out air drops in the coming days to meet the most essential and urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza," a diplomatic source said, adding the "greatest care" would be taken to protect Gazans during the operations.
But the airborne operations were not intended as substitutes for more efficient deliveries by road, the source added, urging "the immediate opening by Israel of land crossing points".
"France is also working on deliveries by land, by far the most effective solution to enable the massive and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods that the population desperately needs," the source said.
Aid groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading among the territory's more than two million residents.
Israel has in recent days allowed more aid trucks into Gaza but aid agencies say Israeli authorities could still do more to speed security checks and open more border posts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany would work with Jordan to airlift humanitarian aid to Gaza, coordinating this "very closely with France and the United Kingdom".
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