US forces in the Middle East conducted a second airdrop of humanitarian aid in Gaza on Tuesday with the help of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, US Central Command said in a statement.
According to CENTCOM, the aid arrived around 2:30 p.m. Gaza time and contained around 36,000 meals. The operation was carried out by members of the United States Army and Air Force.
The statement said the Department of Defense will continue to send aid to areas of the territory most affected by Israel’s continued attacks following Hamas’ brutal attack on the Jewish state on October 7.
While the aid was being delivered, ceasefire talks between Hamas and mediators broke down in Cairo without any agreement, with just days left to stop the fighting before Ramadan begins.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Vice President Kamala Harris will sit down with Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, whose visit challenges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The vice president, over the weekend, called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and for Hamas to accept the deal currently on the table. They were the most strident comments to date from a member of the Biden administration.
This photo released by the Jordanian military on March 5, 2024 shows humanitarian aid dropped from a military plane over the Gaza Strip.
According to CENTCOM, the aid was delivered around 2:30 p.m. Gaza time and contained around 36,000 meals.
Vice President Kamala Harris (left) will meet with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (right) at the White House, challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. Army soldiers are shown moving packaged aid packages Tuesday morning.
The statement said that the Department of Defense will continue to send aid to the areas of the territory most affected by Israel’s continued attacks.
But it also raised questions about whether Harris and Biden disagree on the war between Israel and Hamas. The former California senator has maintained that she and the president are “aligned and consistent” on Israel.
Last Thursday, more than 100 people were killed when a crowd rushed towards an aid convoy on the outskirts of Gaza City. Hamas accused the Israeli army of opening fire, the incident remains under investigation.
The United States on Saturday began the first of what it said would be a series of humanitarian airdrops of food in Gaza, as aid agencies warned of a growing humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian enclave in the absence of a ceasefire agreement. .
Three US C-130 military aircraft delivered more than 38,000 meals in a territory where, according to the United Nations, at least 576,000 people are one step away from suffering famine conditions.
Palestinians posted videos on social media showing the launch of aid boxes. Jordanian forces also participated in that operation.
The White House has said the airdrops would be a sustained effort and that Israel supports them. Critics say airdrops are far less effective than truck deliveries of aid, and it is nearly impossible to ensure supplies don’t end up in the hands of militants.
“Israel welcomes the humanitarian airdrops by the United States, which were discussed and coordinated with us,” said an Israeli official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.
With talks in Egypt scheduled to resume on Sunday, a senior U.S. official said the framework for an agreement on a six-week ceasefire was set, with Israel’s agreement, and contingent on the Hamas militant group agreeing to release the hostages.
“The hostages must be released,” the official told reporters. ‘The deal is basically there. But I don’t want to create expectations in any sense.’
US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz at the White House on Monday, a White House official told Reuters.
In Jerusalem, thousands of Israelis marched to demand the release of some 134 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The protesters, led by families of hostages taken during the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, arrived in the city at dusk.