THIS is the horrifying moment five people were killed in Gaza as aid packages reportedly plunged to the ground following a deadly parachute malfunction.
The food airdrops were seen hurtling towards a crowd of starving Gazan residents before crashing into several people and leaving many injured, according to reports.
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In a post on X, US Central Command said: “We are aware of reports of civilians killed as a result of humanitarian airdrops.
“We express sympathies to the families of those who were killed. Contrary to some reports, this was not the result of U.S. airdrops.”
The airdrops were deployed in an effort to alleviate the suffering of civilians being used as human shields by Hamas terrorists in the war-torn strip.
Chilling footage on social media shows some with their parachutes open, gliding down gently to residents in the northern Gaza neighbourhood of Al-Shati.
But others are seen shooting through the sky at an alarming rate – on a crash collision course with defenceless Gazans below.
American military forces have airdropped more than 70,000 meals over northern Gaza in the past week with the help of Jordan, Egypt and France.
The Palestinian enclave has been a battlefield for over five months as Israeli forces scour for hostages snatched in the October 7 atrocities and fight to obliterate Hamas.
And officials have been warning that Gaza, run by the terrorist group, is on the brink of a severe famine.
Video online shows the out-of-control packages plummeting to the ground as their connected parachutes appear to fail.
They pummelled Palestinians on the ground and left five dead, according to reports.
Eleven others were also left with injuries, say CBS News.
The US media outlet also reported that two boys were among those killed with their exact ages being unconfirmed.
Food has been at a major shortage in the area after border closures made it near impossible to transport in much needed aid.
The first airdrop of humanitarian aid was on March 2 as three C-130 planes dropped off 35,000 meals.
Earlier today, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced that Britain is set to team up with the US to create a special temporary port to help deliver aid.
Dubbed Port Gaza, US President Joe Biden said the US military will be constructing a crucial transportation corridor just off the coast of Gaza.
It is set to deliver vital humanitarian assistance including food, medicine and other essential goods to Gazans in need.
One US official said the temporary port can increase the amount of aid sent into the war-torn region by “hundreds of additional truckloads” every day.
It comes after Hamas health authorities claimed hundreds of victims were shot dead by Israeli forces as they waited for an aid delivery last week.
Chilling black and white aerial footage appeared to show huge numbers of people running towards the convoy of trucks, clambering over each other to get to what was inside.
Israel Defence Forces denied this and claimed the residents surrounded the trucks and looted supplies before they were run over and crushed by other humanitarian aid vehicles.
Officials estimated at least 104 people were killed and more than 280 wounded in the tragedy near Gaza City.
However previous claims of atrocities in Gaza have later been cast into doubt.
At the time, the White House said that they were looking into reports of Israeli fire and described what unfolded as a “serious incident”.
A White House National Security Council spokesman said: “We mourn the loss of innocent life and recognise the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families.
“This underscores the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through a potential temporary ceasefire.”
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