The Guardian view on starvation in Gaza: Palestinians need solutions, not symbols | Editorial

The Biden administration is gradually turning up the volume, but Israel's prime minister is ignoring it. Airdrops are just a gesture

The cogs of US diplomacy are grinding. But they are turning neither far nor fast, and the people of Gaza are dying now. The World Health Organization says starvation is killing children in the north. The UN has warned that over a quarter of the territory's populationare one step away from famine.

In this context, the US airdrops that began last weekend offer such trivial relief that they verge upon the insulting. They are usually a last resort for delivery into hostile environments; this time the impediment to aid is a US ally that is itself dependent on US aid.