France and Jordan delivered aid to Gaza by air

(Patria) - French and Jordanian air forces dropped seven tons of urgent humanitarian and medical aid for a field hospital set up in the second city in Gaza - Khan Yunis, Reuters reports, citing an unnamed French official.

Jordan had previously delivered aid to Gaza, and Paris participated directly in such an operation for the first time, although it has so far delivered about 1,000 tons of aid to the enclave by land.

The aid comes at a time of ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza following the attack by Palestinian Hamas militants on southern Israel in early October.

According to French sources, the aid was delivered on Thursday evening, and French and Jordanian aircraft participated in the operation.

Reuters also quotes French President Emmanuel Macron's assessment on social network X that "the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical".

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical. In a difficult context, France and Jordan provided aid by air to the population and to those assisting them. pic.twitter.com/RXQYgPa9Ep

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 5, 2024

Israel approved a Jordanian air aid mission in November.

Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel and ordered that country's ambassador to withdraw, in protest against the Israeli bombing of Gaza, stating that the attacks caused a humanitarian catastrophe and that innocent people were suffering.

According to data released by Palestinian health officials, more than 22,600 people have been killed in attacks by Israeli forces so far, and thousands have been displaced.