Amman: Jordan’s army said Wednesday it sent eight helicopters loaded with more than seven tons of aid to Gaza, which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis after more than a year of war.
The helicopters carrying food, medicine and supplies for children took off from Jordan toward the Palestinian territory, the army said in a statement.
It was the first time for Jordanian aircraft to land in Gaza with aid since the outbreak of the conflict in October last year.
The army said the aid was being delivered to Al-Qarara, an area near Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis, where it would be handed over to the World Food Programme.
“The total amount of aid sent from the kingdom to the Gaza Strip is about 56,573 tons,” it added, noting the aid had been delivered through Egypt by plane, by truck and dozens of airdrops.
The majority of Gaza’s 2.4 population has been displaced by the fighting, and the UN warned on November 9 that famine was looming in some areas due to a lack of aid.
War broke out in Gaza after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 97 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 43,973 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry that the UN finds reliable.
Jordan army flies eight helicopters with aid to Gaza
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Jordan army flies eight helicopters with aid to Gaza
- Helicopters carrying food, medicine and supplies for children took off from Jordan
- First time for Jordanian aircraft to land in Gaza with aid since the outbreak of the conflict
Jordan condemns Israeli raid on UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem
- Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli police, municipal officials, forcibly entered the compound in East Jerusalem
- Jordan said Israeli measure aims to undermine UNRWA’s significance
LONDON: Jordan condemned an Israeli police raid on the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, calling it a violation of international law.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Ambassador Fuad Majali, said that Jordan rejects Israel’s systematic efforts to limit the operations of UNRWA and undermine its essential role in providing crucial services to Palestinian refugees.
Philippe Lazzarini, the chief of UNRWA, said that Israeli police, along with municipal officials, forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem.
“Police motorcycles, as well as trucks and forklifts, were brought in and all communications were cut. Furniture, IT equipment and other property was seized. The UN flag was pulled down and replaced with an Israeli flag,” Lazzarini said in a statement.
He added that any actions taken by Israel do not affect the compound’s status as a UN site, which is immune to interference.
Majali said that Israeli measures aim to undermine UNRWA’s significance, as the agency supports the right of Palestinian refugees to return and receive compensation in accordance with international law.
He urged the international community to address Israeli actions targeting UNRWA and ensure the essential political and financial support needed for its services to Palestinian refugees.
The Jordanian ministry on Monday also condemned statements made by extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who reiterated his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
It said that Israel does not hold sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. The expansion of Israeli settlements undermines the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, the end of the occupation and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, the ministry added, according to Petra news agency.
