US, Jordan conduct additional humanitarian aid airdrop into Gaza

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US and Jordan conducted additional humanitarian aid airdrops Tuesday into the Gaza Strip.

"Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined humanitarian assistance airdrop into Northern Gaza on March 5, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict," US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.

The operation included US Air Force C-130 aircraft and US Army soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of US and Jordanian humanitarian assistance supplies, it said.

"U.S. C-130s dropped over 36,800 U.S. and Jordanian meal equivalents in Northern Gaza, an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid," it said.

"We continue planning for follow-on aid delivery missions. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors," said CENTCOM.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the US is committed to pulling out every stop to get more aid to those in Gaza who desperately need it. "We won't stand by. We won't let up," he said.

The US said Saturday it carried out the first humanitarian aid airdrop into Gaza, with more than 30,000 meals parachuted from military planes.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 30,600 and injuring over 72,000 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli onslaught 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. 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.