Three US military cargo planes dropped food into the Gaza Strip on Saturday. a senior official confirmed, at a time when the Palestinian territory faces a growing humanitarian crisis after months of conflict. This humanitarian act came two days after a tragic encounter between more than 100 Palestinians and Israeli troops in which they lost their lives while trying to remove goods from an aid convoy.
“We conducted a combined airdrop of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” an official from the US Central Command in the region (Centcom) said on condition of anonymity. Three U.S. Air Force C-130s conducted operations to “provide assistance to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.”
The planes are Central Air Force planes, according to two of the officials who requested anonymity ahead of the public announcement They dropped 66 packages containing around 38,000 meals into Gaza at 4:30 p.m. (local time).. This launch is expected to be the first of several announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. The relief operation is being coordinated with Jordan, which has also carried out airdrops to deliver food to Gaza.
At least 115 Palestinians died and hundreds were injured in Thursday’s tragic incident. The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip reported that crowds were seeking help at the time of the attack. Israel argues that many of the dead were victims of chaotic crowds and that troops fired warning shots about the threat posed by the crowd.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the airdrops were planned to deliver safe humanitarian assistance to the affected people. The C-130 cargo aircraft used in this operation andIt is known for its ability to land in harsh environments and carry large loads.
A C-130 can carry up to 19 tons of cargo and, thanks to its design, can safely release pallets from the tail of the aircraft. Aircrews secure packages on pallets with a net before releasing them with parachutes when they arrive at the intended delivery location.
This type of air mission has been used in the past to provide humanitarian assistance in various parts of the world, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Haiti. In the current context in which the war has affected the supply of food and other resources in Gaza, Airdrops have become a last resort.
Since the conflict began on October 7th Israel has restricted the import of food, water, medicine and other goods into the Gaza Stripso that only a small amount of aid from Egypt was able to enter through the Rafah border crossing and the Israeli border crossing at Kerem Shalom.
Faced with this situation, the United Nations warn that a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are at risk of hunger. Despite criticism that airdrops are not the most efficient way to distribute aid, they have become a necessary measure given the current circumstances.
