"The planes are insulting for us." Palestinians in Gaza recount struggle to collect air-dropped aid

As controversial airdrops resumed in parts of Gaza on Sunday, some Palestinians spoke of their struggle to access the humanitarian aid once it had fallen to the ground.

Massad Ghaban — who was looking for aid in Beit Lahia, a city in northern Gaza where some aid parcels were dropped — told the Reuters news agency that airdrops are "insulting."

"From 6 a.m. until now we didn't eat or drink. We didn't get aid from the trucks. After that, they said that planes will airdrop aid, so we waited for that as well," he said. "The planes are insulting for us. We are a people who deserve dignity."

Another Palestinian in the same area of Gaza, Mahmoud Soukar, said he followed the planes in search of aid but returned empty-handed.

"They dropped (the aid) around 3 kilometers from where people were gathered, and we didn't get aid," Soukar said, according to Reuters. "This is a very difficult situation."

Why airdrops are controversial: Aid airdrops have been sharply criticized in recent days by some humanitarian groups, who say they are expensive, inefficient and dangerous for those on the ground, with pallets of supplies having crushed Palestinians in the past.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees called the drops a "distraction" Saturday, saying they will do little to alleviate suffering in the enclave.

Proponents say the method can act as an additional means to deliver aid to hard-to-reach areas and within a short period of time.

CNN.com