US military air-drops aid to Gaza with cargo planes dropping 38,000 meals across besieged nation after more than 100 people were left dead earlier this week in a frenzied scramble for food
The US military has begun cutting aid to Gaza amid warnings that the war-torn country faces the threat of famine as Israel continues its brutal bombing campaign.
US cargo planes dropped 38,000 meals by air into the besieged area on Saturday.
It comes as part of a series of cuts planned by Washington, which also continues to send aid to Israel.
The United Nations has warned that Gaza is dangerously close to famine and that earlier this week more than 100 people were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds rushing to receive food from a truck convoy.
President Joe Biden announced the upcoming air drops on Friday, amid mounting political pressure over the fate of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The US military has begun cutting aid to Gaza amid warnings that the war-torn country faces the threat of famine
US cargo planes dropped 38,000 meals by air into the besieged area on Saturday
It comes as part of a series of drop-offs planned by Washington, which also continues to back Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign.
“U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian airdrop in Gaza on March 2, 2024 between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM (Gaza time) to provide essential assistance to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict. the US military command said on social media.
CENTCOM said U.S. C-130 military cargo planes “dropped more than 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline, providing civilians with access to critical aid.”
The airdrops are “part of an ongoing effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes,” the command added.
A CENTCOM official said the drop consisted of U.S. military rations that did not contain pork, the consumption of which is prohibited by Islam.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,160 people. Hamas also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom are still in Gaza.
Israel responded with a brutal assault on Hamas-controlled Gaza, which has taken a devastating toll on civilians trapped there, killing more than 30,000 people, according to the territory’s health ministry.
The amount of aid trucked into Gaza has plummeted during nearly five months of war, and Gazans face severe shortages of food, water and medicine.
The United Nations has accused Israeli forces of “systematically” blocking access to Gaza, which Israel denies.
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip, March 1, 2024. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), more than 30,200 Palestinians and more than 1,300 Israelis have been killed.
Palestinians queue for hours to receive food distributed by charity organizations, in Deir Balah, Gaza on March 1, 2024
‘U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian airdrop in Gaza between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM (Gaza time) on March 2, 2024
US C-130s dropped more than 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline, giving civilians access to crucial aid
Some foreign armies have air-dropped supplies into Gaza, sending long lines of aid pallets with parachutes floating into the war-torn region.
Jordan has carried out many of the operations with the support of countries including Britain, France and the Netherlands, while Egypt, along with the United Arab Emirates, sent several military aircraft on an airdrop on Thursday.
Biden has pushed Israel to reduce civilian casualties and allow aid, while maintaining military aid to the key US ally.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the United States plans to conduct multiple air drops over a period of weeks, which “will be in addition to, and not a substitute for, moving things on the ground .’
He described it as a “heavy military operation” that required careful planning by the Pentagon for the safety of both Gaza citizens and U.S. military personnel.
“It is extremely difficult to conduct an air drop in such a congested environment as Gaza,” Kirby said, adding, “This is a war zone. So there is an additional element of potential danger to the pilots in the aircraft.”