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Given those drawbacks, airdrops are typically a measure of last resort. In addition, there is the difficulty of ensuring that the aid is distributed safely and fairly. Governments often organize airdrops over territory controlled by hostile entities, rather than allies. Robert Ford, a fellow at the Middle East Institute and a retired American ambassador to Syria and Algeria, said the decision to turn to airdrops in Gaza represented a “humiliation” of the U.S. by its ally Israel. American officials had repeatedly tried to get Israel to allow a greater flow of aid into the territory. “There is an obvious absurdity that we have to use our own military to undertake airdrops to deliver humanitarian aid because the military of the tog American aid recipient, and our special ally in the Middle East, is blocking this same humanitarian aid,” Ford said. “It gives the image of an American aid recipient that acts with impunity because there is no American pressure applied, beyond verbal pleading.” The International Rescue Committee, in its statement, said the United States and other countries should instead focus their efforts on “ensuring Israel lifts its siege of Gaza” and getting Israel to reopen border crossings to allow the unimpeded movement of fuel, food and medical supplies. The committee also stressed the urgency of pushing for a cease-fire in a war that has lasted nearly five months — since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by the