US conducts humanitarian airdrops into Gaza

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted another round of airdrops of humanitarian assistance into northern Gaza on Tuesday to provide relief to civilians affected by the ongoing war.

"The joint operation included four C-130 U.S. Air Force aircraft and U.S. Army Soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of U.S humanitarian assistance supplies," CENTCOM said on X.

The planes dropped over 50,680 US meal equivalents into northern Gaza, it added.

"US CENTCOM does not assess civilian harm or damage to infrastructure at this time but continues to monitor the situation," it said, adding the humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing US and partner-nation government efforts to alleviate human suffering.

"These airdrops are part of a sustained effort, and we continue to plan follow-on aerial deliveries," it added.

The Pentagon previously said that safety is a "top priority" when planning the airdrops.

In early March, the Department of Defense announced that it would undertake an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza to deliver up to 2 million humanitarian aid meals per day.

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

More than 32,900 Palestinians have since been killed and 75,494 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.

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 is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.