“The Egyptian Air Forces in cooperation with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and some friendly and brotherly countries have flown some [aircraft] within the international coalition to provide urgent humanitarian and relief aid through airdrops on the affected areas in the northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement.
The step comes to implement President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's directives to persistently participate in providing all forms of support to alleviate the burden of basic needs shortage for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Abdel-Hafez said.
It also reflects Egypt's active role in supporting all regional and international efforts to provide humanitarian needs and relief aid for the Palestinians in Gaza, he noted.
The new airdrops coincide with the Egyptian-UAE aerial bridge to execute airdrops with large quantities of food aid and emergency relief materials in the northern Gaza Strip, he added.
On Saturday, President El-Sisi said the aid has been airdropped due to the challenges associated with its entry by land," referring to the restrictions imposed by Israel delaying the delivery of aid.
On 27 February, the Egyptian Air Forces conducted its first airdrop of humanitarian aid on the strip since the start of the Israeli aggression and blockade on Gaza on 7 October. Egypt repeated the aid airdrop on Gaza on 29 February, and then again on 3 March, with the latest on 6 March.
Egypt has been delivering aid via ground crossings to the 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli bombardment since 7 October.
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.
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.
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.
At least 576,000 people in the strip, one-quarter of the population, are on the brink of famine, according to Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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