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(The Hill) — The United States military began delivering humanitarian aid into Gaza via C-130 cargo planes Saturday morning. Three planes from Air Forces Central dropped 66 bundles that contained about 38,000 meals into Gaza around 8:30 am ET, two officials told The Associated Press.
The airdrop, expected to be the first of many, comes just days after more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza city were killed and more than 700 injured when Israeli soldiers opened fire on the people scrambling to access humanitarian aid. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 30,000 since the start of the Oct. 7 war.
President Biden announced Friday that the United States would begin delivering aid to Gaza as the war continues in the region.
“Innocent people got caught in a terrible war, unable to feed their families, and you saw the response when they tried to get aid,” Biden said. “And we need to do more, and the United States will do more.” The president added that the aid drops are coordinated with Jordan and acknowledged that resources flowing into Gaza are “nowhere nearly enough now.”
The airdrops are seen as a way for the U.S. to provide aid to the area while negotiations continue for cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the allowance of more food, medicine, water, and other supplies to be delivered, as well as the release of the remaining hostages held by the militant group. White House spokesperson John Kirby said it is “extremely difficult” to conduct airdrops in such a crowded area.
The C-130 cargo plane is a widely used military aircraft that has been used to deliver aid to remote places because of its ability to land in difficult environments. It can lift as much as 42,000 pounds of cargo, the AP reported.
Crews can load bundles of supplies onto pallets that are rigged for release at the back of the plane and then drop it with a parachute when they are in the delivery zone. It’s been used in the past to drop aid to Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, and other remote places, the newswire reported.
The Hill has reached out to the Air Force for further comment.
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