Gaza boy who survived Israeli strike dies after being hit by aid drop
Gaza boy who survived Israeli strike dies after being hit by aid drop
Civilians in Gaza, including children, are dying in Israel's bombs, its siege, as well as chaotic airdrops on the enclave delivering aid.
3 min read
People have died in Gaza trying to collect aid in the sea or after being struck by parachutes carrying the aid [Getty]
A child in Gaza, who was the sole survivor of his family who were killed in an Israeli air strike on his house during Israel's war on Gaza, died on Sunday after being struck by a parachute carrying aid into the enclave.
Zayn Arouq reportedly died after a delivery fell on him in the northern Gaza Strip, battered by Israeli bombardment for more than half a year.
His relatives said he was admitted to intensive care before succumbing to his wounds.
A video of Zayn before his death has gone viral on social media, in which the boy is saying he had waited since noon to get his hands on a meal.
He explained he had to fight his way to reach food aid amid large crowds of people desperate for humanitarian assistance in the besieged and bombed-out enclave.
When asked what he intended to do with the meal, the bare-footed Zayn says he wanted to have it for Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal Muslims have before beginning their day-long fast during Ramadan.
Other boys with Zayn in the video talked about how they hadn't had a single meal that day except for two dates, a staple during the holy fasting month which ended last week.
An image of two men looking over Zayn’s dead body also went viral online.
زين استشهد اليوم بعد سقوط إحدى مظلات #الإنزال_الجوي على رأسه
— أنس الشريف Anas Al-Sharif (@AnasAlSharif0) April 14, 2024
الطفل زين عروق الناجي الوحيد من قصف أودى بحياة عائلته قبل ثلاث شهور pic.twitter.com/YpX4V3nfTh
The chaotic airdrop of aid packages into Gaza has killed and wounded dozens of people, and some have even drowned trying to reach the aid after it lands in the sea.
A stampede killed at least 18 people late last month as they rushed to get aid.
Countries such as the US have taken part in the airdrops while continuing to arm Israel.
Israeli authorities are banning dozens of essential items from entering Gaza as starvation spreads and the enclave is plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis.
Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on October 7, authorities have either denied or heavily restricted many life-saving items from entering the enclave, despite pleas by several humanitarian organisations.
The UN has warned that famine was imminent in the northern Gaza Strip and could occur at any point in the coming month.
Around 1.1 million people, or half the population, are starving, with Oxfam accusing Israel of deliberately blocking and undermining the humanitarian response in Gaza.
Israel’s unprecedented air and ground offensive has so far killed over 33,700 people, mostly women and children.
It has collapsed Gaza’s healthcare system, rendered much of the territory uninhabitable, and about half of the population is currently crammed at the southern end of the coastal strip in and around the city of Rafah.
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