U.S. and Jordanian forces carried out their second humanitarian aid airdrop into northern Gaza on Tuesday afternoon local time.
The forces dropped more than 36,800 U.S. and Jordanian “meal equivalents” into the strip on Tuesday, which follows their first duel airdrop on Saturday that included 38,000 meals.
“The United States is committed to pulling out every stop to get more aid to those in Gaza who desperately need it,” President Joe Biden said on social media. “We won’t stand by. We won’t let up.”
Biden announced late last week that the U.S. military would conduct airdrops to provide additional assistance to Palestinians in Gaza due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation there amid the war. Israel has imposed restrictions on aid going into Gaza despite continued U.S. pressure for it to allow more humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians.
“The DoD humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. and partner nation government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “We continue planning for follow-on aid delivery missions. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors.”
Various U.S. officials also said they are considering whether to get more aid to Gaza via the Mediterranean Sea.
“We are actively reviewing options for a maritime corridor for humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including potential commercial and contracted option[s],” Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday.
Various governments and international aid organizations have warned about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying they are concerned with the potential for widespread famine and disease due to the limited supplies and resources.
It’s unclear how many airdrops the U.S. intends to partake in, but officials have indicated more will follow.
A senior administration official told reporters over the weekend that “the removal of police from the protective duties” has allowed “criminal gangs” to loot the humanitarian aid and begin “reselling it.”
The Biden administration has largely supported Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack that left roughly 1,200 people dead and ignited the current war. The U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas even though U.S. officials have called for Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians for months. Despite the growing death toll, the administration has yet to condition its military aid to Israel, even as progressive-left members of his own party encourage him to do so.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has reported that more than 30,000 people have been killed since the Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attack that prompted Israel’s current war against it, though its total does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
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U.S., Egyptian, and Qatari leaders are hoping to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a six-week temporary ceasefire agreement that would include the release of vulnerable hostages still held in Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid into the strip. U.S. leaders have said this week Israel has agreed to this framework and has pressed Hamas to do the same.
Biden said last week he was hopeful a deal would be in place by now.
