The Palestinian resistance group Hamas called Tuesday for an end to aid airdrops into Gaza after at least 18 people died in airdrop-related mishaps.
"We call for an immediate end to airdrop operations ... and we demand the immediate and rapid opening of land crossings to allow humanitarian aid to reach our Palestinian people," said the group.
The fatalities included 12 people who drowned in the sea in the northern Gaza Strip and six in a stampede while gathering to obtain aid, the local media office said in a statement.
"The aid airdrops pose a real threat to the lives of hungry Palestinians," the statement warned.
It said some aid fell into the sea, inside Israel, or in war zones.
"This all put the lives of people in real danger," the office added.
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since last October, leaving most of its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.
As Tel Aviv maintained its siege on the enclave, several countries began to airdrop humanitarian aid into several areas in Gaza to avert famine.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion caused the deaths of 1,160 Israelis.
More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
