Video of an airdrop into the Gaza Strip this week showed aid supplies suffering a parachute failure, which local reports said resulted in the deaths of several people.
Initial reports, citing sources in the Gaza Strip, claimed that the airdrop was carried out by a U.S. cargo plane, but the Pentagon told Fox News Digital, “The airdrop was carried out by a U.S. airdropped aid box. Reports of injuries in Gaza are false.”
When asked for more details, the spokesperson added: “We have no additional information to provide regarding this.” CENTCOM later wrote in a post: On social media platform X, authorities said they were “aware of reports of civilian deaths resulting from humanitarian airdrops.”
“My condolences go out to the families of those who died,” the message said, reiterating that “contrary to some reports,” the incident was not caused by U.S. airdrops.
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Videos on social media appear to show an aerial drop into Al Shati refugee camp, with some luggage falling without a parachute. The failure killed five people and injured 10, according to the report, and one witness at the camp said the package “fell like a rocket onto the roof of one of the houses.”
A plane drops humanitarian aid at Al Shati refugee camp and Jamal Abdel Nasser Street in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, March 9, 2024. (Daoud Abo Arkas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Ten minutes later, I saw people removing the three martyrs and other injured people who had stayed on the roof of the house where relief supplies had fallen,” Mohammed al-Ghoul, 50, told Agence France-Presse. told AFP).
Centcom said in a statement Wednesday that the United States earlier this week launched a series of airlifts in cooperation with the Jordanian Air Force to deliver tens of thousands of meals to the Gaza coastline.
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“The Department of Defense’s humanitarian airdrops contribute to the continued efforts of the United States and partner governments to alleviate human suffering,” the statement said. “These airdrops are part of an ongoing effort and we continue to plan for airborne deliveries.”
U.S. Central Command and the Jordanian Air Force conduct a joint humanitarian airdrop into northern Gaza to provide vital relief to civilians affected by the ongoing Israeli offensive in the area on March 7, 2024. carried out. The joint operation involved U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft and U.S. Army soldiers who specialize in airlifting humanitarian supplies between the United States and Jordan. (U.S. Central Command/Document/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
Wednesday’s drop delivered 38,000 meals dropped from a U.S. military C-130, followed by Thursday and Friday’s drops, which each delivered 41,000 “meal equivalents” and 23,000 bottles of water. Delivered 11,500 “equivalent meals” and “saved lives.”
Each airdrop was carried out with support from the Jordanian Air Force. Fox News Digital reached out to the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Jordanian Embassy in Washington, D.C., but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
It is reported that a parachute of a humanitarian aid box dropped from the sky by a plane carrying aid supplies to the Gaza Strip failed to open and the plane fell, causing casualties.The deceased Palestinian was taken to the Shifa Hospital morgue. Palestinians wait for help in the Gaza City area on March 8, 2024. The deceased Palestinian was taken to the Shifa Hospital morgue in Gaza City, where grieving relatives mourned the loss of their loved one. (Daoud Abo Arkas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A Jordanian military official told AFP that none of the four Jordanian aircraft involved in the operation were involved in the death toll.
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“The Jordanian aircraft was not responsible for the technical defect that caused some parachutes loaded with aid to fail to open and fall freely to the ground during Friday’s airdrop into Gaza,” the official said. He pointed out that five other countries were involved in the operation.
A Palestinian man mourns on the ground as he witnesses his dead relatives wrapped in blankets after a plane dropped parachutes from a humanitarian aid box, reportedly causing casualties. Aid to the Gaza Strip is not being delivered, and on March 8, 2024, it falls on Palestinians waiting for help in the Gaza City area. The deceased Palestinian was taken to the Shifa Hospital morgue in Gaza City, where grieving relatives mourned the loss of their loved one. thing. (Daoud Abo Arkas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
According to the BBC, Egypt, France, the Netherlands and Belgium have also poured aid into the Gaza Strip over the past week.
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The Gaza Press Agency claimed that airdrops are “not the best way” to bring aid to the area, but President Biden is considering building a temporary pier on the coast to increase aid shipments. He seems to have taken this to heart, as he is
Meanwhile, the United Nations claims that while land delivery has proven to be the most effective means of delivering aid, getting through the Rafah crossing remains difficult.
