UAE, Egypt carry out second airdrop of humanitarian aid into Gaza

By Ibrahim Al Khazen

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AA) - The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it carried out a second airdrop of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip in collaboration with Egypt.

"The second operation to drop humanitarian and relief aid was carried out by Emirati and Egyptian Air Force aircraft over northern Gaza to alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers,'' the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

"A joint team from both countries executed the second drop operation using three aircraft carrying 42 tons of food and medical aid to northern Gaza,'' it added.

Since Thursday, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain have been continuing joint operations to airdrop food aid into the war-torn enclave.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed at least 30,631 people and injured 72,043 others 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 Mohammad Sio