By Al-Fassel | 2024-04-25

The US government and regional allies are continuing to collaborate on bringing lifesaving humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.

In a series of airdrops April 16-23, US Central Command forces and the Royal Jordanian Air Force provided more than 150,000 Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) to residents of northern Gaza, where 70% of the population is facing severe hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

The combined joint operation on April 23 included Jordanian provided food and four US Air Force aircraft, which dropped 30,016 MREs and more than 6,000 pounds of Jordanian food supplies.

US aircraft dropped 50,688 MREs on April 21, and they delivered 50,600 MREs on April 18. On April 16, the US Air Force and US Army soldiers specialized in aerial delivery of humanitarian aid dropped approximately 25,300 MREs.

To date, the United States has dropped nearly 1,041 tons of humanitarian assistance into Gaza as part of a larger plan to get aid into the strip by air, land and sea.

The success of these operations is due to the ability for the United States and its partners to operate safely in the area, and to civilian compliance with the delivery procedures put in place to ensure the safety of the intended recipients, the military said.

These procedures allow a successful and safe drop zone for US military and coalition partners, including Jordan, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, France and Belgium.

The volume of humanitarian aid reaching Gazans has "increased significantly" in recent weeks, David Satterfield, US special envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East, said April 23, adding that more than 400 aid trucks have entered Gaza some days.

Nonetheless, "the risk of famine throughout Gaza is very high," he said. "Israel must do everything possible to facilitate efforts to avert famine in Gaza."

The Israeli army said eight WFP trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Ashdod port for the first time on April 17.