For the first time, the U.S. military airdropped aid to Gaza, a quarter of the region's population facing hunger. The United States, in conjunction with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, dropped 66 packages totaling more than 38,000 food along Gaza's Mediterranean coastline using C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
A U.S. side said that "potential follow-up air aid delivery missions" are also being planned.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, Israel has banned food, water, medicine and other supplies from entering Gaza, except for a small amount of aid coming in from the south.
According to UNRWA, the United Nations Palestine refugee agency, before that, Gaza relied on a constant supply of 500 supply trucks a day.
Nearly five months after the outbreak of the war, reports of people living on animal feed and children dying from malnutrition and dehydration have heightened the urgency of the situation.
The U.S. has repeatedly pleaded with Israel to allow more road aid to enter without permission, and critics say resorting to costly and inefficient airdrops shows Washington's influence on its allies is waning.
Countries such as Egypt, France, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been airdropping aid to Gaza since the conflict began.
Over the past two weeks, the UK has worked with Jordan to provide aid including medicines, fuel and food to the Talhawa hospital in northern Gaza.
In addition to the cost and inefficiency, the risks of the airdrop include danger to people on the ground and the possibility that the aid will end up in the hands of the militants.
White House spokesman John Kirby said planes can deliver aid faster than trucks, but in terms of volume, airdrops are "a complement to ground deliveries, not a replacement." "Few military operations are more complex than humanitarian aid airdrops," he added. ”