US military to drop aid into Gaza - Biden

On Friday, President Biden announced plans to carryout a US military airdrop of food and supplies into Gaza.

The announcement comes just a day after Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of Palestinians lining up for desperately needed food assistance. The massacre left more than 750 wounded and killed at least 112 Palestinans. 

Biden has stated that the military airdrop will take place in the coming days. He added that the United States is also currently exploring additional ways of getting aid to Palestinians. 

White House spokesperson, John Kirby, emphasized that this would be an ongoing effort, "this isn’t going to be one and done" Kirby says. 

According to Kirby, the first airdrop would likely be MREs or meals ready-to-eat.

Speaking to reporters Biden said "we need to do more and the United States will do more." 

The United States is one of the largest providers of military assistance to Israel, between 1946 and 2023 Israel recieved $124bn in the form of military and defence aid. 

"Aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough," Biden added.

The United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) has highlighted that an average of 97 aid trucks were able to enter Gaza each day. This number is significantly below the target of 500 trucks per day. 

At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip - one quarter of the enclave's population - are one step away from famine, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Read more here.

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