Morocco conducts first airdrops of humanitarian aid in Gaza: Report

By Ahmad Bentaher and Ali Semerci

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - Morocco on Monday joined international efforts to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip while conducting its first airdrops into the Palestinian enclave, local media reported.

The Hespress newspaper cited a source from the Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying that the Rabat administration requested to send humanitarian aid planes to Tel Aviv and the northern Gaza Strip.

The administration, in coordination with the Israeli government, then sent six military planes carrying aid materials to Gaza.

Hespress shared no further information about the delivery.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

More than 31,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 72,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

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

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza due to the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most 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.