The U.S. military on Saturday carried out its first airdrop of aid into Gaza, after the deaths of Palestinians queuing for food underlined the growing humanitarian catastrophe in the crowded coastal enclave after months of Israeli military operations.
The U.S. airdrop used C-130 transport aircraft which dropped more than 38,000 meals along Gaza’s Mediterranean coastline, the U.S. military said in a statement. Jordanian forces also took part in the operation.
“We are conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions,” the statement said.
A U.S. official told the airdrops took place over southwestern Gaza and the town of Mawasi.
The White House said on Friday the airdrops will be a sustained effort, and that Israel supported the measure.
Under pressure at home and abroad, the Biden administration is also considering shipping aid by sea from Cyprus, some 210 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast, according to a U.S. official.
The U.S. for months has been calling for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, something Israel has resisted.
