UAE, Egypt make 8th Gaza aid airdrop

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The air forces of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt carried out an eighth airdrop of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip on Monday.

The joint operation was carried out using two aircraft carrying 64 tons of food and medical aid, the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Ministry of Defense said on X.

The Egyptian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Egypt, in cooperation with "friendly and brotherly" countries, continues to participate in the air aid delivery operations of the international coalition in Jordan.

The airdrop was part of the “Birds of Goodness” operation which aims to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Since the launch of the initiative on Feb. 29, 353 tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to Gaza.

In a separate statement issued by the Jordanian army, it was noted that air aid was delivered to northern Gaza for the seventh time with the participation of Jordan, Egypt, the US, France and Belgium.

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.