Jordan conducts 3 airdrops over famine-ravaged Gaza Strip

Jordan said Sunday that it had carried out three airdrops over the Gaza Strip amid a deepening famine caused by Israel's month-long blockade.

A total of 25 tons of food and essential humanitarian supplies were airdropped by the Jordanian army over various areas across Gaza, the state news agency Petra said.

It added that one of the airdrops was conducted in coordination with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Petra said the airdrops were part of Jordan's efforts "to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians and support the civilian population amid the devastation" caused by the Israeli war.

Since October 2023, Jordan has conducted 127 unilateral airdrops in Gaza and participated in 267 joint operations with allied countries.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has shut down all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 133 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 87 children.

On Tuesday, the World Food Program warned that one-third of Gaza's population had gone several days without eating due to the continued Israeli blockade.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.