On Monday afternoon, twelve Palestinians tragically drowned in the sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip while trying to reach aid supplies that had fallen into the water from a beach in the northern part of the coastal area. According to eyewitnesses, some of those who drowned were unable to swim and others became entangled in the ropes that tied the packages together. This unfortunate incident was reported by Hamas-controlled government’s media office on Tuesday, although it could not be independently verified.
The northern Gaza Strip has been experiencing significant suffering among its civilian population due to ongoing conflict with Israel for over five months. Aid deliveries are scarce as Israel keeps border crossings closed in the north of Gaza Strip and dangerous conditions within coastal area make truck travel difficult. Relief supply drops from military aircraft have been conducted by several countries including United States, Jordan and Germany for more than a month now. However, aid organizations stress that an airlift of this nature cannot replace transportation of relief goods by land. The war was sparked by a horrific massacre carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations on October 7th near border with Gaza Strip.
