President Joe Biden said Friday that the United States would airlift aid to Gaza “within days.” “We're going to work with our friends to deliver the drops,” Biden told reporters at the White House. Countries including France, Jordan and the Netherlands have already dropped aid packages into Gaza by air.
Gazans face severe shortages of food, water and medicine. On Wednesday, media site Axios reported that the U.S. is considering airlifts to Gaza, now that Israel is restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza. from land Delays and frequent interruptions. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the first US deliveries would be food after Biden's announcement.
Earlier on Friday, the World Health Organization's representative, the Dutch Rik Biberkorn, told Al Jazeera that he was “not against air drops because they can be life-saving interventions.” But there are also drawbacks: air supplies are expensive and the amount of supplies delivered is small. And: ' This is absolutely not necessary in Gaza. The easiest, safest and most effective way to deliver aid to people is by truck across the border crossing.'
The U.S. is also looking for alternative ways to get aid to the Gazans, Kirby said. “We will redouble efforts to open a sea route through Cyprus to Gaza to bring large quantities of humanitarian aid by sea.” (AP)
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