German military aircraft have begun dropping aid over the Gaza Strip, the Defence Ministry said on Friday, as Berlin joins international efforts to relieve the dire humanitarian situation in the sealed-off Palestinian territory. The transport aircraft dropped 34 pallets containing almost 14 metric tons of food and medical supplies, the ministry said. The airdrops come amid outrage over the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of famine. However, aid organizations have criticized airborne relief efforts as largely symbolic, arguing that they are inefficient and incapable of meeting the massive needs on the ground. Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged the limited impact of Germany’s contribution, calling the airdrops a “small” effort relative to the scale of the crisis. Still, he defended the mission as a necessary gesture. “It is an important signal: We are there, we are in the region, we are helping,” he said earlier this week. Israel has significantly restricted aid deliveries for months, allowing little to no humanitarian access to the coastal territory. According to Israel, the aim is to increase pressure on the Palestinian extremist organization Hamas to release the remaining hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, attacks, which
