Does giving international aid sometimes cause more harm than good?

I believe that international aid can sometimes cause more harm than good. Not because helping is wrong, but because the way it is delivered can create danger, humiliation, and even frustration for the people it is supposed to help.

Heavy boxes falling from the sky into crowded areas are one example. People ran toward food because they were starving, and injuries happened when parachutes failed. It looked less like organized help and more like a dangerous scramble for survival. Real footage shows this clearly.

Even comedians like Bassem Youssef mocked this kind of “performative” aid, saying sarcastically:
“Oh great, they dropped food on us. Should we clap before or after we survive?”

That kind of aid is not only dangerous but humiliating. People are forced to compete for food as if it was a game. Trucks of aid delayed at the Rafah Border Crossing made things worse. Supplies sat for days, food spoiled, and medical aid arrived too late. People depending on help were left hanging because of politics, not lack of need.

I know this personally because I used to live in Al-Arish, near the Gaza border. I have friends from there, and seeing these situations on the news felt like watching people suffer while the world performed for cameras. It affected me psychologically. Watching people reduced to running for food changes the way you see the word “aid.” It stops being a generous act and starts feeling like a survival lottery.

Some might say that international aid always helps and that these examples are just exceptions. I agree that aid is important. People need it and it saves lives. But when it is unsafe, delayed, or politicized, it can make suffering worse instead of better.

Even the United Nations warns about the principle of “Do No Harm.” If aid causes deadly crowd surges or becomes a performance, harm is already happening. Big announcements might look powerful on social media, but they do not always protect human dignity on the ground.

For me, this is not just a debate topic, it is personal. I have seen how close these crises are. Aid should protect dignity, restore order, and truly help. That is why I believe giving international aid can sometimes cause more harm than good. When help is delivered badly, it fails and punishes.