Egypt Airdrops Aid to Gaza Strip Amid Humanitarian Crisis

To address the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Egypt, supported by UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and France, conducted on Tuesday 27 February a series of airdrops to deliver crucial aid supplies. 

The Egyptian Air Force dropped 50 tons of aid, including food and medicine, across northern and central Gaza. This marked the first time such a delivery has taken place since the Israeli war on Gaza. 

These urgent aid deliveries come in response to warnings from human rights groups and international agencies about the dire situation faced by hundreds of thousands of distressed Palestinians, including children and infants, who are on the brink of famine due to restrictions on aid deliveries. 

In addition to the airdrops, Egypt has taken further action to provide relief to the affected population. Egypt established a second refugee camp in Khan Yunis, equipped with 400 tents capable of accommodating up to 4,000 people.

The camp is equipped with a power supply and sanitary facilities.

Several human rights groups accused Israel of violating an International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict by blocking aid deliveries to Gaza. The ICJ had ordered Israel to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian aid.

Reports have emerged of children dying from hunger, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The World Food Program had to suspend life-saving food aid to northern Gaza due to unsafe conditions for distribution. 

The Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in a significant number of Palestinian casualties, with official figures reporting over 30,000 deaths and more than 70,000 injuries.