By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 16 March 2024
Edit Thread

Hop on the bandwagon

US, Jordan militaries launch new airdrop over northern Gaza

The US military says it conducted a new airdrop of humanitarian aid over northern Gaza in cooperation with the Jordanian air force.

Sixteen 170kg (375-pound) bundles of rice, flour, milk, pasta and canned food were dropped from a C-130 military cargo plane, US Central Command said in a statement.

The heavily criticised airdrop plan will carry on as Israel continues to restrict much more effective humanitarian aid deliveries via land crossings. The airdrops provide only a fraction of what is needed for hundreds of thousands of Gaza people facing famine.

That's 2.72 tonnes, feeds 1,813 people for one day. (provided they find water and gas/wood to cook with)

Germany says Israel must open Gaza border crossings

The German foreign office confirmed an airdrop of humanitarian aid with France and Jordan over northern Gaza, comprising of four pallets with one tonne of food each. More airdrops with France and Jordan will come in the next few days as “the Franco-German team remains on the ground and is coordinating closely with our Jordanian partners”.

“Every package counts. But airdrops are not enough. To supply the people in Gaza, the Israeli government urgently needs to open more border crossings, especially to allow more aid delivers overland by truck.”

4 tonnes, feeds 2,666 people for one day.

Cyprus says second aid ship ready to leave for Gaza

A second ship loaded with aid for Gaza will soon depart, Cyprus says, as the first vessel returned from the war-ravaged territory after successfully delivering its cargo. The Jennifer is set “to depart for Gaza today or tomorrow”, Cyprus’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis told state radio.

The US charity World Central Kitchen said its team finished unloading food and other desperately needed supplies from the barge towed by the Spanish aid vessel Open Arms.

The second vessel is expected to carry 240 tonnes of food, World Central Kitchen said. The cargo includes “pallets of canned goods and bulk product including beans, carrots, canned tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, parboiled rice, flour, oil and salt”. It also includes a forklift and a crane to assist with deliveries. The United Arab Emirates sent “a special load of 120kg fresh dates”, it added.

240 tonnes, 12 trucks, feeds 160,000 people for one day. Yet with a week round trip time and 2 ships, food for 45,000 people a day. Still better than air drops, and much safer.


Gaza aid flow: ‘A drop of water in the ocean’

The miniscule amount of humanitarian relief entering Gaza is a far cry from what is desperately needed to save hundreds of thousands people facing famine, an analyst says. Tamer Qarmout, from the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says the amount of aid is only “a fraction of what used to get into Gaza”.

“On a daily basis in a normal situation, Gaza would receive 500 trucks to serve the 2.3 million population. With these loads coming from the air and sea, they represent about two to three trucks. It’s nothing. It’s a drop in the ocean,” Qarmout told Al Jazeera.

“The question is why when you have all these land crossings. They’re cheaper and much faster. So why resort to these ineffective mechanisms? This will not address the humanitarian needs. But this is what the Israelis want – someone to relieve them of their economic burden as the occupier.”

Palestinians search for drinking water during Israeli blockade


Children wait to fill bottles with water in southern Gaza

Limited quantities of water are provided by charities. Reports say people in Gaza are dying because of dehydration and malnutrition