Three U.S. officials confirmed Saturday that airdrops were carried out by C-130 cargo plane and followed similar operations from countries including Egypt, France, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. President Biden announced the move Friday. Humanitarian aid has been scant in the northern part of Gaza, where aid groups are warning of imminent famine.
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President Biden told reporters Friday that he’s still hoping a cease-fire deal will be reached between Israel and Hamas by the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which starts around March 10, but “we’re not there yet.” Asked what needs to happen in the negotiations, he said there has to be agreement on the timing, and the parties are “still far apart.”
After an aid convoy delivery turned deadly Thursday in Gaza City, resulting in the deaths of 115 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, Biden said the event would complicate negotiations over a potential pause in fighting that would allow the release of those hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
British-owned vessel MV Rubymar has sunk in the Red Sea after being damaged in a Houthi attack last month, Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Saturday, adding that “the sinking of the ship … will cause an environmental disaster.” The Feb. 18 attack caused an 18-mile oil slick and forced the crew to abandon the ship.
At least 30,320 people have been killed and 71,533 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 242 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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