Washington: US C-130 military cargo planes on Saturday dropped food over the Gaza Strip, three US officials said, two days after more than 100 Palestinians who rushed to retrieve goods from an aid convoy were killed during a chaotic standoff with Israeli forces.
Three Central Air Force planes dropped 66 packages containing about 38,000 meals on Gaza at 8:30 a.m., according to two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the public announcement.
The airdrop is expected to be the first of many announced by President Joe Biden on Friday. The aid will be coordinated with Jordan, which has also conducted airdrops to deliver food to Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said that at least 115 Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded in an attack on Thursday while they were scrambling to obtain aid. Israel says many of the dead were trampled during a chaotic stampede to obtain food aid, and its forces fired warning shots after the crowd moved toward them in a threatening manner.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that airdrops were planned to deliver emergency humanitarian aid in a safe manner to people on the ground.
The C-130 cargo plane is a military aircraft widely used to deliver aid to remote places due to its ability to land in harsh environments and cargo capacity.
Displaced Palestinians cook food in a temporary shelter in a camp in Gaza.credit:
The C-130 can airlift up to 42,000 pounds of cargo, and its crew knows how to fit the cargo, which can sometimes even include vehicles, onto huge platforms that can be safely dropped from the back of the plane.
Air Force loadmasters secure packages onto pallets using a mesh rigged for release at the back of a C-130, then the crew releases them using a parachute when the aircraft reaches the intended delivery area.
