US wants to drop humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip from aircraft
The US may drop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip from aircraft (photo: media.defense.gov)
The US is exploring the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip using military aircraft, as delivering cargo overland is becoming increasingly difficult, according to Axios.
According to Axios, sources stated that President Joe Biden's consideration of this option reflects growing concern at the White House about the worsening humanitarian situation, especially in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, where there is a risk of famine.
One U.S. official told Axios that this decision was prompted, in part, by the fact that in early February, the civilian police of Hamas militants stopped escorting humanitarian convoys after being attacked by the Israeli army. This allowed armed gangs to plunder trucks with humanitarian aid.
The source stated that at the beginning of the war, the US was skeptical about the idea of air delivery of goods. The White House began to change its attitude towards this method of delivering aid after Israel successfully dropped humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip several times. However, officials noted that the volume of aid that can be delivered by air is limited.
Axios, citing three Israeli and American officials, also reported that the US demanded that Israel sign a statement of guarantees of compliance with international law in the use of American weapons and allow humanitarian convoys into the Gaza Strip by mid-March.
Israel-Hamas movement war
On October 7, 2023, militants from the radical Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip. According to official data, in the first days of the attack, militants killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers and abducted about 250 people.
At the end of October, the Israel Defense Forces launched a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, which is ongoing. The country's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the goal of the operation was the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages.
On February 8, Netanyahu announced that a complete victory for the Israel Defense Forces was imminent. He also reported the readiness of the IDF to begin a ground invasion of the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has threatened to suspend a key peace treaty with Israel if the country's army enters Rafah. Recently, Israel has threatened to advance on Rafah if Hamas does not release the hostages before Ramadan.
