US carries out airdrop of aid into Gaza

Airdrop (5)

The US carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza on March 2nd, according to AFP.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that, in a combined operation with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, more than 38,000 meals were parachuted from military planes along Gaza’s coast between 3PM and 5PM local time.

Multiple reports claim the airdrops took place in Rafah city, on the Gaza-Egypt border.

CENTCOM stated: “We are conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes.”

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Reuters reported US President Joe Biden’s March 1st announcement, saying the US would begin airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, alongside Jordan and other states.

Biden also said that the US will seek to open other avenues into Gaza, with the possibility of a marine corridor to deliver large-scale humanitarian assistance, as-well-as insisting that Israel facilitates the delivery of more aid into the besieged enclave.

The airdrop came after Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid on February 29th, killing over 100 and injuring more that 760.

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READ: Witnesses claim Israel fired at crowd waiting for aid

Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing 1,200 people according to official Israeli figures. The Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) retaliatory air, land, and sea bombardment has since killed over 30,320 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s figures.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leading to widespread starvation.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with an interim ruling ordering Tel Aviv to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and to take measures to guarantee access to humanitarian assistance for people in Gaza.

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AFP / Reuters

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