Jordan said it conducted five airdrops of humanitarian and food supplies over the Gaza Strip on 2 August, working with the United Arab Emirates, France and Germany. The Israel Defense Forces, which cleared the flights, said aircraft from Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, Germany and France released about 90 aid bundles in northern and southern Gaza. France had carried out its own inaugural airdrop a day earlier, parachuting about 40 tonnes of food into the enclave. The latest air mission underscores the deepening food crisis after nearly two years of war and an Israeli siege that has throttled over-land deliveries. A UN-backed early-warning system says Gaza is ‘on the brink of famine’, while the UN children’s agency warns that youngsters are dying at an ‘unprecedented’ rate. The UN human-rights office reports that at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect food since 27 May, most of them shot near aid convoy routes or distribution points. Aid officials say airdrops provide only symbolic relief. UNRWA, barred from bringing supplies in by road for five months, says it has 6,000 trucks loaded with assistance waiting outside Gaza and that parachute drops are around 100 times more expensive than land convoys. Médecins Sans Frontières and other groups have also criticised the tactic, urging Israel to reopen crossings so larger volumes of aid can move quickly and safely to the 2.4 million residents.