Omar Alothmani,Zeynep Tüfekci Gülay
03 August 2025•Update: 03 August 2025
ISTANBUL
An Anadolu correspondent was onboard one of the aircraft Saturday that dropped the aid into the Gaza Strip
Laith Al Junaidi recorded the humanitarian airdrop operation from aboard one of two Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft.
The Jordanian Armed Forces, with the participation of "some brotherly and friendly countries," carried out five airdrops into Gaza, according to a report in Jordan's official news agency, PETRA.
The aid packages weighed 36 tons and the operation was carried out within the framework of international cooperation to increase humanitarian aid efforts amid the continuing dire humanitarian conditions.
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry announced that the country and Jordan led a multinational humanitarian aid airdrop into Gaza, joined by aircraft from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The Israeli army announced earlier that it would allow foreign countries to airdrop aid into Gaza.
Previously, aid parachuted into famine-stricken Gaza, where Israel has been accused of imposing starvation, had been seen falling on civilians and causing fatalities.
Some of the aid dropped parcels from planes fell into the sea, prompting starving civilians to rush to the shores and waters, and it has drawn criticism because of the parachute-drop method.
Last week, the UN World Food Program (WFP) warned that one-third of Gaza’s population had gone without food for several consecutive days due to the Israeli siege.
WFP estimates that one in four Palestinians in Gaza faces famine-like conditions, and 100,000 women and children are suffering from acute malnutrition.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and worsening already dire conditions in the enclave.
Palestinian officials have said a minimum of 600 aid trucks are needed per day to meet the needs of the territory’s 2.4 million people.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,300 Palestinians. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages.
