Palestinian Boy, 3, Killed by Air-Dropped Relief in Southern Gaza 

A three-year-old Palestinian boy tragically lost his life in Khan Younis on Saturday when an aid package, dropped from an aircraft, struck the displacement area where his family had sought refuge. His grandfather, Sami Ayyad, recounted the incident, explaining that as the family ate breakfast, pallets of aid plummeted towards them. Despite efforts to take cover inside their makeshift tents, the falling package instantly killed the young boy, Sami. Other family members, including his aunt and cousin, were injured in the ordeal.

Various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Jordan, and the UAE, have airdropped aid into Gaza in recent months. The UAE reportedly dropped 81 food packages into Khan Younis on Saturday, with over 10,000 packages airdropped in total. However, humanitarian agencies have criticised such airdrops as inefficient, with many urging Israel to lift restrictions on land crossings to allow more direct aid to reach Palestinians.

The aid distribution comes amidst a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.84 million Palestinians facing acute food insecurity. Human rights agencies have condemned the restrictions on land-based aid, with some accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.