International Desk (EFE).- Germany, Spain, and France on Friday joined Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in launching air deliveries of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where nearly a quarter of the population is facing starvation and the rest is at risk.
Germany dispatched two military flights carrying 34 pallets with nearly 14 tons of food and medical supplies. France scheduled four flights from Jordan with a total of 40 tons of aid.
Spain’s delivery, launched from an aircraft also based in Jordan, included 5,500 food rations, amounting to 12 tons, which could feed around 11,000 people in the enclave.
These European efforts add to those of Jordan and the UAE, which for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday airdropped a combined 16 tons of food and baby formula.
Visible from the ground In Gaza, EFE reporters and eyewitnesses observed the airdrops firsthand, including six separate launches in the northern part of the territory. One package landed in an inaccessible militarized area.
On a day with more airdrops than usual, 43, according to the Israeli army, one drop of about 15 boxes landed in the Netzarim corridor, a zone under full Israeli military control that separates northern and southern Gaza.
Two other drops occurred in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. One, carrying 12 boxes, landed in the west of the city, while as the second, with nine boxes, fell in an undetermined location.
In Gaza City, EFE witnessed another drop of about 20 boxes in the north, followed by eight additional packages. A separate drop of roughly 23 boxes landed in the southern city of Khan Younis.
European support grows “During the first half of July, at least 5,000 children under five were admitted for acute malnutrition, and 63 children have died from hunger,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told Franceinfo.
“The Gaza Strip must be flooded with water, food, and medicine. There is no time to lose,” he said, announcing France’s four relief flights.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, said the people of Gaza are suffering from “a famine induced by Israel.”
Calling the situation “a shame for all humanity,” he urged the Israeli government to allow the “permanent, uninterrupted, and free” flow of humanitarian aid.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, currently in the region to push for a ceasefire and address Gaza’s “dramatic” humanitarian crisis, said Berlin “is sparing no effort” to assist Palestinians.
“In light of the absolutely dire situation, air drops are an additional method to quickly reach those in urgent need,” Wadephul said.
“At the same time, we are working intensively to reopen land-based humanitarian routes in coordination with UN organizations—air drops alone cannot replace them.” EFE
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