(DailyDig.com) – The US military and the Royal Air Force of Jordan delivered an airdrop of humanitarian aid in the form of over 36,000 meals into northern Gaza on March 5. The food was delivered to add to deliveries by ground, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The airdrop’s first mission was on March 2, with about 38,000 meals dropped into southern Gaza. The UN stated that Gaza has insufficient food available for its people and claimed that a famine would happen without aid.
Northern Gaza has received less aid as Israel is actively preventing the terror group Hamas from regaining the strongholds they developed in that area, according to CENTCOM. Although the number of trucks entering Gaza has increased at their checkpoints in the south, much of the aid has been taken before reaching the northern areas of Gaza.
Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department, reported that the US military has been developing a strategy to maximize their efforts to use sea, land, and air routes to deliver humanitarian aid to those people in Gaza who need it most. He added that the airdrops would continue with the support of Israel.
Israel has provided two checkpoints where aid can flow into Gaza after being inspected by their officials. Over the last month, the UN, along with other agencies, have not made their deliveries as soon as they were cleared, and when they do make them, they don’t distribute them more widely, according to Israeli officials.
They also stated that the safety of those delivering aid by truck is their priority. On February 29, several casualties occurred when a chaotic surge of people rushed a truck for food. The truck was manned by Israeli troops, who fired at the few people who were rushing them, threatening their safety. A majority of the 115 deaths were from being crushed in the surge. The IDF is investigating what happened.
A hostage release ceasefire along with a humanitarian aid surge has been discussed. US leaders state that Israel agreed and are waiting for a response from Hamas.
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