Video: Egypt, UAE airdrop tens of tons of relief aid to Palestinians in northern Gaza

Ahram Online , Thursday 29 Feb 2024

Egyptian and UAE military aircraft conducted another airdrop of humanitarian assistance to the northern Gaza Strip overnight, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez stated on Thursday.

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Egyptian and Emirati military aircraft conducted another airdrop of humanitarian assistance to the northern Gaza Strip. Egyptian military spox

 

Aircraft from both countries departed from Arish International Airport, delivering “tens of tons” of urgent aid to different areas in northern Gaza, the spokesman added.

The aid, including food, medication, and other essential supplies, contributes to alleviating the acute humanitarian suffering in the strip.

Supplies were dropped in areas that lacked necessities due to the ongoing military operations.

The spokesman said the aid is part of collaborative efforts with regional and international actors to achieve de-escalation and provide necessary assistance to Gaza.

 

 

The Egyptian Air Forces conducted the country’s first aid airdrop to Gaza on Tuesday in collaboration with Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and France.

The aid from the five countries was allocated in “large quantities” to areas in northern Gaza, according to the spokesman.

Egypt has been delivering ground aid to 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli bombardment and blockade since 7 October.

While the majority of aid coming to Gaza is Egyptian, assistance coming from other countries and international relief agencies is also being delivered by Egypt.

As of February, Egypt has provided 100,000 tons out of the 130,000 tons of humanitarian aid delivered to people in Gaza, according to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

Israel blocking aid
 

The Egyptian trucks deliver aid to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza and the Israel-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is roughly nine kilometres from Rafah.

Over the past weeks, Israeli protesters have gathered at Nitzana in Israel’s Negev Desert and Karm Abu Salem to block food and other essential supplies from entering Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel has blocked hundreds of trucks loaded with thousands of tons of aid to Gaza at the Rafah crossing.

Cairo has accused Tel Aviv of deliberately impeding aid deliveries to Gaza through its extremely slow inspection measures.

International aid organizations have warned that the Israeli blockade on food, medicine, and fuel is causing near-starvation conditions in the strip.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Michael Fakhri has accused Israel of intentionally starving Palestinian civilians in retaliation for Hamas’ operation on 7 October.

Speaking to The Guardian, Fakhri has called for holding Israel accountable for the war crimes and genocide.

At least 576,000 people in the strip, one-quarter of the population, are on the brink of famine, said Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday.

Egypt has called for a ceasefire in the strip to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and facilitate the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas.

Egypt has warned of the catastrophic consequences of Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, which currently houses nearly 1.5 million people, most of whom are displaced by Israel, calling on Israel to refrain from such an action that would worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the strip.

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