In first, planes airdrop humanitarian aid to northern Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Several planes airdropped humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, for the first time since the start of a deadly Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, according to witnesses.

Boxes of humanitarian assistance were dropped around the Indonesian Hospital in Jabalia town, witnesses said.

Planes also airdropped another aid shipment near the Rimal neighborhood west of Gaza City, they added.

“The assistance was very limited,” a local source said.

No details were yet available about the nationality of the aircraft.

On Tuesday, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, France and Qatar carried out an operation to airdrop aid to Gaza.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

On Sunday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned of an imminent famine in Gaza as aid agencies struggle to deliver food to the north of the enclave.

Last week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that a rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza poses grave threats to their health.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 29,954 and injured over 70,000 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala