The European Union announced today that it intends to launch a humanitarian airbridge to carry "several flights" to Egypt to deliver supplies to humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza. The EU stated, "The first two flights will take off this week, carrying humanitarian shipments from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that include shelter materials, medicines, and hygiene supplies."
Previous diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip have failed, and Israel has ordered the evacuation of villages in an area near its border with Lebanon, raising concerns of a potential expansion of the war to a new front.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference in Tirana, "The Palestinians in Gaza need humanitarian assistance, and they cannot pay the price for Hamas." She noted that the EU decided earlier this week to triple its humanitarian aid, bringing it to over 75 million euros, to support civilians in need of assistance in Gaza.
Israel has pledged to eliminate Hamas, which governs Gaza, after its fighters breached the perimeter fence surrounding the territory on October 7 and killed 1,300 Israelis, the majority of whom were civilians, in the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history. The Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, is under a complete siege and subjected to unprecedented airstrikes, with widespread expectations of an impending ground invasion by Israel. Gaza authorities say that at least 2,808 people have been killed there, including many civilians.
