MADRID: Spain announced plans to airdrop 12 tonnes of food into Gaza this week as famine looms over the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The operation, set for Friday, will use Spanish air force planes departing from Jordan.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a vocal critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, described the famine as “a shame for all of humanity.”
He stressed that stopping it is a “moral imperative.” The defence ministry confirmed the airdrop follows a similar mission in March 2024, when Spain delivered 26 tonnes of food.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has deepened after 21 months of conflict triggered by Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel.
Over two million residents face severe shortages, with malnutrition reaching “alarming levels,“ according to the World Health Organization.
Israel’s blockade, imposed in March, has severely restricted aid flow, though limited deliveries resumed in May.
Humanitarian officials remain doubtful that airdrops can sufficiently address the hunger crisis.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies responsibility, accusing the UN of spreading “pretexts and lies.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the use of hunger as a “weapon of war,“ citing crises from Gaza to Sudan. – AFP
