President Joe Biden announced Friday that the United States would begin airdropping food aid into Gaza, just one day after witnesses said Israeli soldiers open-fired on Palestinian refugees as they gathered to receive aid in Gaza City, killing at least 115 people. “In the coming days we’re going to join with our friends in Jordan and others who are providing airdrops of additional food and supplies,” Biden said, according to the Associated Press. “Aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere nearly enough… lives are on the line,” he said. While airdrops would “help immediately,” said State Department spokesperson Matt Miller, the true challenge lies in easing the movement of aid through Gaza, and taking measures to allow Palestinians to safely reach it. Last week, the UNRWA said that it had been unable to deliver food to the North of Gaza for the last month after several countries, including the U.S., paused funding to the essential aid organization. A quarter of Gaza's population of 2.3. million people are currently facing starvation, according to the United Nations.
