Food and medicine

USA starts dropping aid supplies over Gaza

The USA dropped 38,000 food parcels over the Gaza Strip on Saturday.(Bild: AFP)

Following the deadly disaster surrounding an aid convoy, the USA began dropping food and aid supplies in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as planned and announced by President Joe Biden (see video above). Attempts are also being made to negotiate a ceasefire before the start of the fasting month of Ramadan.

In the coming days, Biden announced at the White House on Friday that they would be joining forces with Jordan and other countries to airdrop more food and aid. The communications director of the National Security Council in the White House, John Kirby, had stated that food would be dropped first, but did not give a specific date. It is said to be 38,000 food parcels.

Aid delivery from the sea also planned
Jordan has been airdropping aid for the civilian population since November, and Egypt has also been doing so for a few days. The flights over the Gaza Strip are coordinated with Israel, according to reports. The USA is also considering attempting to deliver aid from the sea, as Kirby explained on Friday.

The USA began dropping food and aid supplies in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as announced.(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

The food and medicine dropped will bring some relief, especially in areas that - like the northern Gaza Strip - are difficult or impossible to reach with aid deliveries by land. However, UN organizations point out that the quantities of goods that can be delivered by airdrop are rather small. In addition, young men who want to get something for their families often fight over the dropped parcels. UN employees are therefore proposing truck deliveries of aid via border crossings in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Biden hopes for ceasefire before Ramadan
The US government has been criticizing the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza for weeks and is calling for a ceasefire. Together with Egypt and Qatar, Washington is mediating between the Islamist Hamas and Israel in order to achieve a ceasefire. The goals are the release of hostages held by Hamas and the improved delivery of aid supplies. Biden is hoping for a new ceasefire before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "I hope so, we are still working very hard on it."

Hostage negotiations face new problems
Meanwhile, Israel's indirect negotiations with Hamas on a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages held by the Islamists are facing new difficulties, according to media reports. The reason: Israel does not want to take part in a new round of talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the USA until Hamas presents a list of the hostages still alive, the news portal "Axios" reported on Friday evening.