BBC国際編集長、ガザに物資投下のヨルダン軍機に同乗
At a desert air base in Jordan, some hope perhaps for the starving people of Gaza. Not just because two aircraft, one Jordanian, the other from the United Arab Emirates, were being loaded with relief supplies, but because the airdrops are a sign that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is now high on the international agenda. Deaths from starvation have finally forced it there in a way that months of warnings from Palestinians and from the UN could not. The Jordanian aircraft took off for Gaza’s airspace. It was a short flight. The load masters worked fast to prepare the parachutes for the drop. If they didn’t open, a ton of relief supplies on a pallet could kill a family if it landed on a tent, which is the only shelter most gardens have now. Right, these are the parachutes which will guide the aid down to Gaza. There are eight tons on here, baby milk, some food, medical supplies, and there’s this aircraft and one other from the UAE. Now clearly on its own this is not going to make a great deal of difference. The only thing that really will make a big difference would be a lot of road convoys. You can’t do it with airdrops. But airdrops are symbolic. They’re telegenic. They look good on television and they give the impression that something’s being done. And without question, the fact this is being permitted by the Israelis means that they have responded to pressure. As the Hercules approached Gaza, the countdown started. 3 minutes to go. Then the aircraft was over land and the one minute warning before it delivered around as much cargo as a single lorry can carry. They counted the parachutes and gave a thumbs up. All of them opened. Air drops are usually considered a last resort, a way of getting limited supplies fast to remote and inaccessible emergencies. But Gaza is not remote and it has been inaccessible because Israel has ruled that it must be. So the Jordanians have passed on a message from the Israelis. The Israelis don’t want us to film out of the window at the devastation inside Gaza. But I’ve spent 10 minutes looking at it with my own eyes. And I can tell you that communities in the north of Gaza that I knew well, very vibrant, tens of thousands of people living hard lives, but actually with a remarkable human spirit, are flat. There’s nothing left of them. Now, if you’ve been watching satellite pictures, it won’t come as any surprise, but seeing it is really something. Israel will not allow reporters like myself to enter Gaza to report the story and they don’t want us to see it to film it anyway from above either. It took about 3/4 of an hour to get back to the King Abdullah air base. The Emirati aircraft followed a few minutes later. For now, by air and road, this is a limited operation. Israel says that unfettered relief supplies heading into Gaza would strengthen Hamas. The fact is that aid has not been reaching the people who need it most. And if that doesn’t change, more will die.
BBCのジェレミー・ボウエン国際編集長は、ガザへの人道支援物資を空中投下するヨルダン軍の輸送機に同乗した。
ヨルダン側はボウエン編集長と取材スタッフに対し、イスラエルが「機外を撮影しないように」と求めているのだと説明した。
窓から外を見下ろしたボウエン編集長は、かつてよく知っていたガザ北部の活気ある地域が「まったいらだ」、「何も残っていない」と話した。
ガザへの物資搬入を全面的に管理しているイスラエルは、ガザで飢餓が起きているとの指摘を否定し、食料不足はイスラエルの責任だという非難の声も退けている。
ガザ北部の各地では、イスラエル国防軍（IDF）がパレスチナ人住民に対し、南部へ移動するよう命じている。IDFは、北部ガザでの軍事作戦について「テロリストおよびテロリストのインフラの排除を目的としている」と説明している。
人道支援団体は繰り返し、空中投下では十分な物資を届けることはできないと警告し、より多くのトラックによる搬入を認めるよう求めている。
ボウエン編集長が報告する。
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