Biden Says US Airdrops Will Deliver Food And Supplies To Gaza

(CTN News) – Vice President Joe Biden announced on Friday that he’s sending food and supplies into Gaza, a day after Palestinians queuing for aid died in the crowded coastal enclave amid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Biden said the airdrop will happen soon despite no further details. A Jordanian and French airdrop has already taken place.

U.S. President Biden told reporters that “aid flowing to Gaza is not nearly enough.” The first airdrop will probably be military MREs, according to WH spokesperson John Kirby. It’s not a one-time deal, Kirby said. A maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza is also being considered, Biden says.

UN OCHA says about a quarter of Gaza Strip residents are on the verge of famine.

More than 100 Palestinians tried to reach a relief convoy near Gaza City early Thursday, almost five months into the war that began with a Hamas attack on Israel.

Crowds ran over or trampled many victims. As a result, Israeli troops fired on crowds. The UN said it faces “overwhelming obstacles” as people eat animal feed and cactus to survive. Former no-fly zone commander Deptula says the U.S. can airdrop stuff.

“It’s right up their alley,” Deptula told Reuters.

“There are a lot of details to figure out. But they’re not insurmountable.”

AIRDROP KNOWN TO ISRAEL

There have still been questions about the effectiveness of airdropping aid.

Unnamed U.S. officials said the airdrops would have a limited impact on Gaza’s suffering.

It doesn’t get to the root of the problem, the official said. Only opening up land borders would solve the problem.

Another issue was that the U.S. couldn’t ensure that the aid didn’t end up in Hamas’ hands since it didn’t have troops there.

Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are great photo opportunities, but terrible ways to deliver aid. Getting enough aid requires aid convoys, he said. Gaza’s situation is now so bad that any additional supplies are at best a temporary band-aid measure.

210 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast, Cyprus may ship aid by sea. Kirby acknowledged in the White House that Gaza airdrops were “extremely challenging” due to the dense population.

Gaza needs more aid, the Biden U.S. has been calling for months.

Israel had airdropped supplies into Gaza and supported U.S. airdropping aid. A Washington-based Israeli official confirmed the humanitarian airdrop. An anonymous official declined to comment on whether the U.S. sought Israeli approval in advance for the air drops or coordinated the effort.

Two gaffes marred Biden’s announcement of fresh Gaza aid. UN delivered aid to northern Gaza on Friday for the first time in over a week, according to the coordination office. UN supplies Gaza City hospital with medicines, vaccines, and fuel. Deliveries of food aid to northern Gaza were halted 10 days ago until conditions were safe.

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