(MENAFN) Humanitarian aid airdropped into Gaza has destroyed several tents in a camp for displaced Palestinians, according to footage shared online, fueling criticism from human rights groups that say the method should only be used as a last resort.

The video, reportedly filmed Thursday, shows pallets of aid descending by parachute over Gaza’s coast. Some collide mid-air, their parachutes becoming tangled, causing the loads to plunge to the ground. The packages land in a heavily damaged urban area converted into a refugee camp, striking multiple tents as residents rush to gather supplies.

Another video, taken Sunday in central Gaza, appears to show a teenager fatally injured during an aid drop. The footage depicts the bloodied youth being carried away; reports claim he died shortly afterward, though it remains unclear if the cause was falling debris or a stampede.

Israel began allowing aid airdrops in late July after months of a tight blockade. The effort has been plagued by deadly incidents, including civilians crushed by falling supplies, trampled in stampedes, or drowned retrieving aid that fell into the sea. Local authorities also allege that in some cases, civilians came under fire when supplies landed near Israeli positions.

Aid groups argue that airdrops are risky, inefficient, and unsustainable, noting that a single cargo plane carries only about half the supplies of one flatbed truck. They continue to urge Israel to open land routes into Gaza.

“While we welcome any effort to get aid to desperate civilians in Gaza, we know that airdrops are very expensive, often ineffective, and not sustainable,” said Katy Crosby, senior policy and advocacy director at Mercy Corps.

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