Palestinian Boy Killed by Falling Aid Box in Gaza — Fourth Fatal Air-Drop Incident in Days

TDT | Manama

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A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed Saturday after an air-dropped aid box struck him in the head in central Gaza, in the fourth such fatal accident in less than a week, according to medical sources.

The victim, identified as Muhannad Eid, was hit in the Al-Nuwairi Hill area west of the Nuseirat refugee camp. He was rushed to Al-Awda Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Several others were wounded, though their exact number was not confirmed.

The incident follows three similar deaths in recent days: a Palestinian man in Gaza City’s Al-Yarmouk area, a nurse in Al-Zawaida, and an 11-year-old boy in Khan Younis.

Since October 2023, Gaza’s Government Media Office says at least 23 people have been killed and 124 injured by falling aid boxes, with some drops landing in Israeli-controlled zones or in forcibly evacuated neighborhoods — putting civilians at risk of direct targeting. Others have fallen into the sea, causing drownings, or into crowded gatherings.

Officials and aid agencies have renewed calls for safe, large-scale land deliveries, arguing air-drops are dangerous, ineffective, and chaotic. Israel has kept all Gaza crossings closed since March 2, severely restricting aid convoys despite famine warnings from the UN and humanitarian groups.

The World Food Program warns one-third of Gaza’s population has gone days without food. The UN says hundreds of trucks are needed daily to meet urgent needs.

More than 61,300 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023. Israel faces war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court and a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza.