- The United States provided more than 38,000 meals to Gaza on Saturday.
- The White House said this was the first of many airdrops to come.
- The Israeli and Palestinian delegations are expected to meet for ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday.
US C-130 military aircraft dropped more than 38,000 meals on Gaza on Saturday.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on its website that parachutes loaded with food parcels descended into the area from around 3pm to 5pm local time.
The airdrop was conducted jointly by US Central Command and the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
US Central Command said the operation provided “essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.”
While humanitarian agencies criticized the Biden administration for the airdrops, saying they were insufficient, White House spokesman John Kirby said it was the first of many airdrops to come.
“This will not be a done deal,” Kirby told reporters on Friday.
President Joe Biden He added that The United States will also insist “that Israel facilitate more trucks and more roads to provide more and more people with the assistance they need.”
“No excuses,” he said.
The airdrop comes as ceasefire talks took a step forward on Sunday after a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo.
“There is a framework agreement,” a senior White House official told reporters on Saturday. “The Israelis have more or less accepted it. There will be a six-week ceasefire in Gaza starting today, if Hamas agrees to release the hypothetically designated category of vulnerable hostages: the sick, the wounded, the elderly and women.”
An Israeli delegation is also expected to arrive in the Egyptian capital, although an Israeli official previously said that Israel would not negotiate further until it received a list of living hostages held by Hamas. Axios mentioned.
The situation in Gaza has reached the breaking point
On Thursday, 112 Palestinians were killed and about 760 others injured as they crowded around aid trucks in Gaza City.
US administration officials said that the “tragic incident” highlighted “the importance of expanding and sustaining the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation.”
United Nations World Food Programme He said The conflict has left “the entire population of 2.2 million people in ‘crisis’ or worse levels of acute food insecurity.”
She added, “Malnutrition among children is higher than anywhere in the world, with one in every six children under the age of two suffering from acute malnutrition.”
