This handout picture released by the Jordanian Army on February 29, 2024 shows humanitarian aid being dropped from a military aircraft over northern Gaza, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Picture: Jordanian Army / AFP
In a coordinated effort to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the United States military deployed C-130 cargo planes to conduct an emergency aid air-drop over the territory over the weekend.
The decision came in the wake of a devastating incident where over 100 Palestinians lost their lives while attempting to access aid from an aid convoy in a chaotic encounter with Israeli forces.
According to an AFP report, three C-130 cargo planes, operating under Air Forces Central, dropped a total of 66 bundles containing approximately 38,000 meals over Gaza.
The air-drop targeted south-west Gaza, with the bundles landing along the territory's Mediterranean coast.
This operation was carried out in collaboration with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which conducted two food air-drops in northern Gaza on the same day and has been involved in several similar missions in recent months.
President Joe Biden, who authorised the emergency humanitarian assistance, emphasised the urgency of the situation.
“The amount of aid flowing to Gaza is not nearly enough and we will continue to pull out every stop we can to get more aid in,” President Joe Biden said Saturday in a post on the social media site X (formerly Twitter).
This emergency aid air-drop is expected to be the first of many interventions by the Biden administration to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. In addition to air-drops, the administration is reportedly considering the shipment of aid by sea from Cyprus, according to a US official.
The urgency of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has drawn international attention, with United States Vice President Kamala Harris issuing a rare rebuke of Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire. Harris emphasised the need for increased aid flow into Gaza and urged Israel to open new border crossings and refrain from imposing unnecessary restrictions.
The use of air-drops is a spectacular but inefficient way of delivering aid and suggests that Biden has all but given up on persuading his Israeli counterparts to de-escalate the ongoing crisis.
This is a significant acknowledgement by the United States, a staunch supporter of Israel, regarding the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the failings of the Israeli military in allowing Gaza’s civilian population the access to aid that they require.
Critics suggested it represented no more than a gesture, which obscured Biden’s reluctance to use US leverage to force Israel to be more cooperative in the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“Airdrops are not the solution to relieve this suffering, and distract time and effort from proven solutions to help at scale,” the International Rescue Committee aid organisation said. “All diplomatic focus should be on ensuring Israel lifts its siege of Gaza.”