ISTANBUL, March 17 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Egyptian Air Forces have carried out their 9th airdrop on Saturday of humanitarian and relief aid into the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The joint operation was carried out using two aircraft carrying 33 tonnes of food and medical aid, the Joint Operations Command of the UAE Defence Ministry wrote on X.
The Egyptian Defence Ministry said the Egyptian Air Force intensified their air aid delivery activities from Al-Arish Airport to Gaza in coordination with the UAE Air Force.
The airdrop was part of the Birds of Goodness operation to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Since the launch of the initiative on Feb 29, around 405 tonnes of humanitarian aid have been delivered to Gaza, it said.
More than 31,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza and 73,546 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85 per cent of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
