PARIS (Reuters) – A coordinated air operation between France and Jordan allowed the airdrop, during the night of Thursday to Friday, of around seven tonnes of humanitarian aid destined for Gaza, announced Emmanuel Macron.
This “extremely complex” operation according to the French presidency was carried out jointly by a French plane and a Jordanian plane, with mixed teams from the two countries on board.
“The humanitarian situation remains critical in Gaza. In a difficult context, France and Jordan have delivered aid by air to the population and those who are helping them,” wrote the president in a message posted Friday on his X account.
The drops of humanitarian and health equipment were destined for the Jordanian hospital located in Khan Younes, in the south of the Gaza Strip, said the Elysée.
The operation was carried out in accordance with what was decided between Emmanuel Macron and King Abdullah during the French president’s visit to Jordan on December 21.
Jordan already carried out airdrops on Gaza in November, but this is the first time that France has intervened in this way, after having sent more than 1,000 tonnes of aid to the enclave by land.
These drops take place almost three months after the assault on Israel by Hamas on October 7. Since the ensuing Israeli offensive, 22,600 people have been killed in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, editing by Zhifan Liu)
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