The U.S. military initiated the dropping of meal bundles over the Gaza Strip to assist the besieged enclave where supply trucks have been overwhelmed and looted. Three C-130 cargo planes delivered a total of 66 pallets containing around 38,000 meals ready-to-eat over Gaza. This action is the first of many rounds of emergency humanitarian aid authorized by President Joe Biden. The pallets were strategically dropped in the southwestern part of the Strip, along its coast of the Mediterranean Sea, to ensure broad access to the aid packages. Jordan also participated in airdrops to deliver food to Gaza, as part of an ongoing effort with international partners to increase life-saving assistance in the region.
The official emphasized that the operation is in response to the desperate needs of Palestinian civilians, separate from Israel’s military campaign. The continuous effort to send humanitarian aid into Gaza includes exploring all possible routes such as land, sea, and air. President Biden announced the start of airdrops during a meeting at the White House, and emphasized the need to provide more aid to alleviate suffering in Gaza. This response follows a tragic incident in northern Gaza where at least 100 Palestinians died and many others were injured when attempting to access aid supplies.
Hamas blamed Israel and the Biden administration for what they called a “massacre,” while the United Nations warned of imminent famine due to diminishing food and safe water supplies in Gaza. The World Food Program had to suspend aid deliveries momentarily due to violence and looting before eventually resuming them. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to create dire circumstances for the people of Gaza, prompting intensified international efforts to provide essential aid to the region.