Jordanian Armed Forces assist U.S. in making another airdrop of aid in Gaza

Jordanian Armed Forces assist U.S. in making another airdrop of aid in Gaza
by Chris Benson
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 5, 2024

The U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that it and Royal Jordanian Armed Forces had made another airdrop of food aid into Gaza.

A "combined humanitarian assistance airdrop" by the United States and Jordan took place at about 2:30 p.m. local time in northern Gaza, which provided "essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict," according to a release by U.S. Central Command.

Tuesday's second drop of critical food aid by the United States and Jordan comes a day after Vice President Kamala Harris called for "an immediate cease-fire" that would permit humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.

Tuesday's aid mission was a joint operation carried out by U.S. Army soldiers using U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft -- which dropped 36,800 meals.

On Thursday, it was reported the death toll in Gaza had surpassed 30,000 civilians as witnesses reported that Israeli Defense Force troops had opened fire on scores of Palestinians as they waited on aid in Gaza City. Dozens were killed.

A combined international effort with air drops was made in recent days by Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and France.

"The DoD humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. and partner nation government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza," Central Command said Tuesday, adding how they will continue to plan "for follow-on aid delivery missions."

The first U.S. aid drop of 38,000 meals to the Gaza coastline took place on Saturday and more are expected to continue for the next few weeks.

U.S. Central Command added that the airdrops "are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors."

Belgium sends transporter to drop aid into Gaza
Melsbroek, Belgium (AFP) March 5, 2024 - Belgium on Monday sent a military transport plane to join an international operation to drop aid in war-ravaged Gaza also involving the United States, France and Jordan, officials said.

The aid was taken to Jordan, where Jordanian officials were to inspect it before seeking an Israeli green light for an airdrop, which was to take place on Wednesday at the earliest, according to the Belgian defence ministry.

"We are not deciding when we go in. We are being told when we can go in and we will abide by that," said Colonel Bruno Beeckmans, the commander of the air base outside Brussels from where the aircraft took off.

"It's absolutely a no-go fly zone because it's a war zone. So we need to be precisely coordinated," he told AFP.

The military Airbus A400M transporter was to make another flight from Brussels to Jordan's Zarqa air base outside Amman, to take in more more aid and personnel for the drop.

Zarqa has been a hub for what Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder said was a "humanitarian coalition for Palestine".

Jordan has conducted at least 16 air drops of aid into Gaza since the war broke out on October 7. One was made with a French military plane.

The United States -- Israel's staunchest ally -- began air-dropping aid on Saturday into Gaza, which has faced relentless bombardment by Israel since Hamas launched its cross-border attack on October 7.

The US air drop saw heavy pallets parachuted into the water off a Gaza beach thronged with people.

Beecksman told journalists that was done for safety reasons, to avoid hitting people on land, but that Palestinian authorities did not want air drops into the water.

"It was received as humiliating by the Palestinians. So we want to avoid that," he said.

Beeckmans said: "The Palestinians indicated they prefer collateral damage than dropping at sea."

UN officials have stressed the desperate conditions faced by people in Gaza, with dwindling food supplies pushing much of the population to the brink of starvation.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, who was also at the Melsbroek air base, said a ceasefire was needed to allow more aid deliveries.

The Hamas attack on October 7 Israel resulted in about 1,160 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, now in its fifth month, has killed more than 30,600 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.