Jordan, UAE air-drop 25 tons of aid in Gaza as the hunger crisis deepens

Jordan and the UAE decided on Sunday, July 27, to deploy aid to the people starving in Gaza. This is the first major air-aid update to Gaza in many months. The food crisis continues to escalate in Gaza and with two Jordanian Air Force planes and an Emirati plane, a total of 25 tons of food and other supplies arrived in Gaza. The collective action of Jordan’s and UAE’s long-awaited shipment of aid is unprecedented for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, as they address the ongoing suffering of people starving, especially children, for what feels like years.

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The Gaza Health Ministry noted that since the beginning of war nearly two years ago, 127 people, including 85 children, have died of malnutrition. Furthermore, over 100 humanitarian organizations have issued alarming reports about mass starvation in Gaza if aid was not expedited.

A Jordanian official told Reuters it was good that an airdrop happened and they would like to see people be helped quicker but airdropping aid can never replace the aid that can come through land where aid can occur quicker and more effectively.

Israel’s “Tactical Pause” and Humanitarian Assistance

On the same day, the Israeli military announced a “tactical pause” based around a cessation of military activities within three areas in Gaza – Muwasi, Deir al-Balah, and within part of Gaza City. The tactical pause is intended to occur everyday between 10 am and 8 pm and will ease the entry of humanitarian aid into the region.

Historical perspective surrounding the tactical pause offered by Israel is the use of air drops of aid and food parcels into communities; pushing back against an expanding international condemnation. Explaining air drops, particularly as more respected human rights agencies accuse Israel of refusing humanitarian food access and starving communities, is counter intended given Israel’s established maternal blockade since March. While food access was granted in late May [with limited food access], the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations reported that such restrictions were still limiting food access and assistance and ensuring minimal quantities of food to be accessed by those suffering in need in Gaza.

Aid from Egypt Also Begins

Coinciding with the tactical pause announcements, trucks carrying aid supplied from Egypt also began to move towards Gaza. Here too, the Egyptian media favoured moving images of trucks waiting in the regions bordering Gaza. Whereby truck routes cannot travel directly to the Rafah crossing due to it being commandeered by the Israeli army and seriously damaged to the passage capacity to grid lock, disfunctured regional aid moves are not expected to facilitate any immediate improvement to acute indications of effects of  humanitarian issues faced in Gaza. Instead, trucks must travel through Kerem Shalom, which Israel oversees. This long route holds up the delivery of help to starving people.