Jordan drops 6th batch of medical aid to southern Gaza field hospital

By Laith Al-Jnaidi

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) — A Jordanian air force plane on Wednesday airdropped a sixth batch of medical aid for its field hospital in southern Gaza, the country's military announced.

Jordan's army has two field hospitals in the Gaza Strip — one in Gaza City established 14 years ago and a second set up last month in south of the enclave, pummeled by weeks of Israel attacks.

In a statement cited by the Jordanian state news agency Petra, the army said the aid was "in order to maintain the continuity of the hospital's operations and keep delivering health and medical services to the people of Gaza."

It also noted that the airdrop used sophisticated parachute systems "to guarantee the landing site is reached."

The statement affirmed Amman's commitment to keep providing aid to people in Gaza to help alleviate some of the hardships they have been facing.

On Dec. 15, the army announced that the country's Princess Salma, daughter of King Abdullah II, participated in another airdrop of critical medical supplies in Gaza.

The first airdrop took place on Nov. 6, followed by the second six days later, the third on Nov. 30, the fourth on Dec. 7, and the fifth on Dec. 15.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while nearly 130 hostages remain in captivity.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar