RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia and Jordan have collaborated to deliver 30 tonnes of ready-to-eat food to Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief on Sunday.
The airdrop, conducted with the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization and the Jordanian Hashemite Armed Forces, aimed to provide immediate relief to those affected by the ongoing conflict.
Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, KSrelief’s director general, stated that the food supplies were designed for immediate consumption without the need for heating. This method of delivery was chosen due to the closure of border crossings by Israeli occupation forces, which had previously hindered the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Dr. Al-Rabeeah emphasized the need to open border crossings to ensure a sustainable flow of aid, as airdrops alone cannot meet the high demand for humanitarian assistance.
To date, KSrelief’s campaign for Palestinians has amassed over $184 million. Saudi Arabia has also established an air bridge comprising 54 planes and a sea bridge with eight ships to continue delivering aid. Despite efforts by the US military to create a temporary seaport in Gaza, stormy seas have rendered it unstable for humanitarian deliveries.
More than 2 million Palestinians have been forced to flee their homes since Israel’s full-scale war, which was initiated in retaliation for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. More than 38,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the fighting, according to Gaza health officials. The extensive damage to Gaza’s infrastructure has led to a severe healthcare crisis, with a rise in communicable diseases, particularly among children, and the complete halt of the education system, as noted by the UN.
The joint efforts by Saudi Arabia and Jordan highlight the critical need for international cooperation and effective solutions to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
