UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini says that proposed airdrops of aid would be a “distraction” that could kill starving Palestinians.

In a post on X, Lazzarini said that the airdrops of food and supplies from foreign countries into Gaza, proposed by Israel, would be “expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians”.

He called instead for Israel to “lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements [and] dignified access to people in need”, allowing the UN and its partners to operate at scale in Gaza.

“A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will.”

He added that UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt “waiting for the green light to get into Gaza”, arguing that “driving aid through is much easier, more effective, faster, cheaper and safer” than airdrops and more dignified for the people of Gaza.