U.S. Air Force C-130Js Airdrop Humanitarian Aid into Gaza

During the two-hour humanitarian joint operation Saturday, more than 38,000 meals ready to eat (MREs) were dropped from U.S. C-130s along the Gaza coastline, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

The coastline locations were chosen specifically as areas thought to allow civilians the best access to the aid, senior administration officials said Saturday, adding that the drop was the first of a series.

The United Nations said the drop zone was in a territory where at least 576,000 civilians are a step away from famine conditions five months into the Israel-Hamas war, Reuters reported.

The nearly 70 pallets of aid bundles were prepared by the U.S. Army's 165th Quartermaster Company at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Friday and rigged with parachutes before they were loaded onto the C-130Js, the Air Force said. Each airlifter carried 22 pallets.

"The DOD [Department of Defense] humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza," CENTCOM said in a statement. "We are conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes."