Jordan conducts second air drop of medical supplies to Gaza

The Kingdom of Jordan airdropped medical aid to a Jordanian field hospital, in Gaza, Jordan’s Petra state media said on November 12.

“An official of the Jordanian Armed Forces said a Royal Air Force plane Saturday dropped urgent medical aid for the second time using parachutes to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza,” the report said, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

This is the second airdrop, the first one occurred almost a week ago on November 6. “The drop operation came in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar to enhance the hospital’s capabilities and increase the ability of medical personnel to provide health and treatment services to Palestinians in Gaza,” Petra News said.  

The Kingdom of Jordan has been critical of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. Jordan says that the hospital in Gaza continues to operate despite difficult conditions.

Aid is parachuted into Gaza and this is in coordination with Israel. The packages are also checked and everything is secured, according to reports.  

The airdrop comes after Jordan attended the joint Arab-Islamic summit which opened in Riyadh on Saturday with the participation of King Abdullah II.

Bringing together Arab and Islamic countries

“The summit, which brought together the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries or their representatives, is to discuss an end to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the dangerous developments in the occupied Palestinian lands,” Jordan’s Petra News said. The Saudi Crown Prince renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire. The summit called for ending the “siege” of Gaza.  

King Abdullah and Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa met on Saturday to discuss efforts to stop the war on Gaza, the same reports said.

“Discussions at the meeting, held on the sidelines of the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh and attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, reaffirmed the importance of intensifying Arab and Islamic efforts and moving forward with active players and regional partners to stop the war and sustain the delivery of medical and relief aid.” 

Many countries have played a role in supporting the medical centre in Gaza. This includes Jordan, as well as the UAE and historically Qatar, Indonesia, and other countries. Some of them have hospitals named after their support. Other international organizations also support hospitals. In recent days fighting near several hospitals in northern Gaza has gained international attention. This included battles near Shifa Hospital, Quds Hospital, Awda Hospital, Rantisi Hospital, the Indonesian hospital, and others.