WASHINGTON, March  2, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - American cargo planes air-dropped
38,000 meals into the besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday, part of a series of
drops planned by Washington to help curb a growing humanitarian crisis in the
war-racked territory.

       The United Nations has warned of famine in Gaza, and more than 100 people
were left dead earlier this week in a frenzied scramble for food from a truck
convoy delivering aid, with Israeli forces opening fire on the crowd.

       US President Joe Biden -- under mounting political pressure over the plight
of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip -- had announced the imminent air drops on
Friday.

       "US Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a combined
humanitarian assistance air drop into Gaza on March 2, 2024, between 3:00 and
5:00 pm (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the
ongoing conflict," the American military command said on social media.

       CENTCOM said US C-130 military cargo planes "dropped over 38,000 meals
along the coastline of Gaza allowing for civilian access to the critical aid."

       The air drops are "part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza,
including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes," the
command added.

       A CENTCOM official told AFP that the drop was made up of US military
rations that did not contain pork, the consumption of which is prohibited by
Islam.
       
       - Ground route still key -
    
       
       Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on
Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people. Hamas
also took about 250 hostages, 130 of whom still remain in Gaza.

       Israel responded with a relentless assault on Hamas-controlled Gaza that
has taken a devastating toll on civilians trapped there, killing more than
30,000 people, according to the territory's health ministry.

       The amount of aid brought into Gaza by truck has plummeted during nearly
five months of war, and Gazans are facing dire shortages of food, water and
medicines.
 
       The United Nations has accused Israeli forces of "systematically" blocking
access to Gaza, which Israel denies.

       Some foreign militaries have air-dropped supplies to Gaza, sending long
lines of aid pallets floating down into the war-torn territory on parachutes.

       Jordan has been conducting many of the operations with the support of
countries including Britain, France and the Netherlands, while Egypt sent
several military planes on an air drop Thursday together with the United Arab
Emirates.
 
       Biden has pushed Israel to reduce civilian casualties and allow aid in,
while at the same time he has maintained military assistance for the key US
ally.

       National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that the United
States planned to carry out multiple air drops over a period of weeks, which
will "be a supplement to, not a replacement for, moving things in by ground."

       He described it as a "tough military operation" that required careful
planning by the Pentagon for the safety of both Gazan civilians and US military
personnel.

       "It is extremely difficult to do an air drop in such a crowded environment
as is Gaza," said Kirby, adding: "This is a war zone. So there's an added
element of potential danger to the pilots in the aircraft."