US President Joe Biden announced the airstrike on Friday. “We need to do more, America is going to do more,” he told reporters.
This is not the first time such an operation has been performed. Other countries, including the Netherlands, have previously dropped aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.
Fighting has been going on in the Gaza Strip for months. Israel is trying to eradicate Hamas. The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in the densely populated coastal region, largely cut off from the outside world.
The US has indicated that it wants to airlift relief supplies for a longer period of time.
Critics call such air operations costly and impractical to provide assistance. US officials also recognize that it is not a complete substitute for other forms of aid.
According to US media, John Kirby of the National Security Council said on Friday, “It should be seen as a complement to ground delivery. It’s not an attempt to replace trucks.”
