AMMAN: The Jordanian Armed Forces, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
The airdrops involved two Royal Jordanian Air Force aircraft and one from Egypt, according to a statement carried by Jordan News Agency.
One airdrop of food supplies took place in Al-Mawasi, in the city of Khan Younis, where thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In a CNN interview earlier this month, Queen Rania explained the reason for the airdrops in an area where the UN has reported a widespread food crisis.
“We found that after trying so hard in vain to persuade Israel to open the land access points, that we had to do something. We couldn’t just sit idle and watch people starving,” she said.
She added the airdrops were desperate measures to address a desperate situation, describing them as “drops in an ocean of unmet needs.”
Queen Rania echoed King Abdullah’s comments that the airdrops were far from sufficient and could not replace the large-scale humanitarian access needed to deal with the issue.
Since October, Jordan has conducted 117 airdrops independently and participated in 266 others with international partners.
The Jordanian army reiterated its commitment to continuing support efforts, including an airbridge from Marka Airport in Amman to El Arish International Airport in North Sinai, which facilitates both airdrops over Gaza and the organization of ground aid convoys.
