U.S. humanitarian air drops began in Gaza on Saturday, with military aircraft dropping thousands of meals to the war-torn region a day after President Joe Bidenair raids in the southern Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. In a combined effort with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, U.S. C-130 cargo planes dropped around 38,000 meals along the Gaza coastline,
U.S. Central Command says it is “conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions.” Biden announced Friday that the U.S. would begin stepping up its humanitarian efforts in Gaza, noting “aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough” as talks for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have thus far stalled.
The airdrops also come days after Gaza health officials said more than 100 Palestinians were killed during an aid delivery from trucks—Palestinian authorities claim Israeli soldiers shot and killed them and Israeli officials claim most were killed by trampling after hearing Israeli “warning shots” fired due to security concerns about the crowd encroaching on its tanks.
On Saturday, the European Union’s diplomatic service called for an international investigation into the incident, arguing that “many” of the victims were shot by Israeli forces and blaming restrictions by the Israeli army and violent extremists for the short supply of humanitarian aid, which the service says contributes to “a level of desperation that brings about violence.”Some critics have dismissed the air drops as ineffective at providing true relief for Palestinians.