This was the 26th airdrop of humanitarian and relief aid in north Gaza as part of the “Birds of Goodness” operation which is a part of “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3” to support Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip who have bore the brunt of Israel’s military offensive against Hamas.
Israel-Hamas War: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt airdropped 82 tonnes of relief aid in war-hit north Gaza as part of the “Birds of Goodness” operation which is aimed to provide essentials to the besieged Gazans who have bore the brunt of the Israel’s military offensive against the Hamas militant group for the past six months.
According to an official statement issued by the Joint Operations Command of UAE’s Ministry of Defence, two C17 aircraft belonging to the UAE Air Force and two C295 aircraft belonging to the Egyptian Air Force airdropped 82 tonnes of food and relief aid in northern Gaza, taking the total amount of aid airdrops to 1,483 tonnes since the beginning of the charity operation.
This was the 26th airdrop of humanitarian and relief aid in north Gaza as part of the “Birds of Goodness” operation which is a part of “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3” to support Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, it said.
According to the statement, the airdrop was carried out over inaccessible, isolated areas in the northern Gaza Strip via four aircraft carrying 82 tonnes of food and relief aid.
Ceasefire talks to resume
Meanwhile, Israeli military claimed Saturday it recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared for another round of talks Sunday on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war.
According to an Egyptian official, ceasefire negotiations will resume Sunday even as US President Joe Biden has sent CIA Director Bill Burns to Egypt. A Hamas delegation will arrive Sunday to join the talks, the militant group said.
Hamas has insisted on linking a phased end to the war to any agreement releasing hostages. The militant group which runs the Gaza Strip said it will agree to release 40 as part of an initial six-week cease-fire deal that would include the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Hamas also seeks the return of displaced people to devastated northern Gaza and more aid.
Israel has offered to allow 2,000 displaced Palestinians — mainly women, children and older people — to the north daily during a six-week cease-fire.
The talks come days after international condemnation of Israeli airstrikes that killed seven humanitarian workers with the World Central Kitchen charity.
The Israeli military described it as a “tragic error”, however, aid groups said the mistake is hardly an anomaly. As per the UN, at least 190 aid workers were killed in Gaza through the end of March.
(With inputs from agencies)
