US conducts humanitarian airdrops into Gaza

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US conducted another round of humanitarian assistance airdrops Wednesday into northern Gaza to provide relief to civilians affected by Israel’s military onslaught on the enclave.

"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," the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.

It said the planes dropped more than 50,680 US meal equivalents.

"To date, the U.S. has dropped approximately 852 tons of humanitarian assistance supplies," it added.

During the mission, CENCTOM said one of the bundles landed in shallow water near the shore, adding it does not assess civilian harm or damage to infrastructure at this time but continues to monitor the situation.

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

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

Around 33,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began.​​​​​​​

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

The war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while much of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has urged it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.