Jordan army sends eight helicopters with aid to Gaza

Jordan’s army said yesterday it sent eight helicopters loaded with more than seven tonnes of aid to Gaza, which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis after more than a year of Israeli offensive.
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 tonnes,” 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.
Israel’s 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.