US, Jordan conduct humanitarian assistance airdrop into Gaza

WASHINGTON

The US and Jordan conducted additional humanitarian aid airdrops Thursday into the Gaza Strip.

"U.S. Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into northern Gaza on March 7, 2024, at 3:20 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians in Gaza affected by the ongoing conflict," US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.

The joint operation included US Air Force and Jordanian C-130 aircraft, and US army soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of US humanitarian assistance supplies, it said.

"U.S. C-130s dropped over 38,000 meals, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance in northern Gaza, to enable civilian access to critical aid," it said, adding the Department of Defense (DOD) humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing US and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering.

"These airdrops are part of a sustained effort and we continue to plan follow on aerial deliveries."

The US said Saturday it carried out the first humanitarian aid airdrop into Gaza, with more than 30,000 meals parachuted from military planes, with additional humanitarian aid airdrops on Tuesday via joint operation with Jordan.

Israel has continued a military offensive on the Gaza Strip, now in its 153rd day, following the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 30,800 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 73,000 others injured besides mass displacement and destruction.

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