The US Army began this Saturday its air aid operation for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip with the launch of 38,000 food packages, distributed in 66 pallets, dropped from three C-130 aircraft that flew at low altitude over the enclave, like military ones Sources confirmed this to NBC News.
This begins the operation approved this week by United States President Joe Biden to try to alleviate the devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to the Israeli military operation in response to the October 7 militant attacks.
In recent days, Jordan has launched several aid deliveries through the same system, as the entry of humanitarian aid by land is extremely difficult due to the fighting and Israeli blockades on the passes to the enclave.
However, this type of aid was viewed with considerable skepticism by both international NGOs and prominent diplomatic officials such as EU High Representative Josep Borrell, who were aware that it was merely a symbolic action also endangering the safety of desperate Palestinians trying to reach the packages.
“Air drops cannot and cannot replace humanitarian access,” the non-governmental organization International Rescue Committee warned on Friday. “The fact that airdrops are even being considered is evidence of the serious access problems in Gaza, where more than half a million people are suffering from starvation,” he added.
For his part, Borrell described that this type of operation had “minimal impact” on the needs of the population, at a time when the authorities of the enclave, to give a tragic example, had already increased the number of children up to 13 years old died starvation since the beginning of the conflict.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also criticized this approach, with a statement released on Saturday denouncing the apparent unwillingness to use its influence over Israel to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The United States behaves like a marginalized and weak country, unable to ensure access to aid for the hungry in the Gaza Strip,” he lamented in a statement posted on his social network account X.
The ministry further expressed its “extreme surprise at the weakness of the United States,” which is “taking actions inappropriate for a major power capable of forcing Israel, if it so desires, to protect Palestinian civilians.” “
Even the President of the United States, Joe Biden, admitted last Friday when announcing these operations that the enclave “should receive hundreds of aid trucks per day” because “what is currently arriving in Gaza is not enough and there is life .” in the game”.