US military airdrops more aid to Gaza, US official says

The US military carried out its fourth airdrop of aid into Gaza on Friday, a US official told Reuters, amid an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in the crowded coastal enclave.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza, which is supported by the United States, has displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people and led to critical shortages of food, water and medicine.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer more details on the airdrop, including its location or number of meals delivered.

US President Joe Biden, who first announced the airdrop campaign last week, announced on Thursday that the US military will also build a temporary port in the coming weeks on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to enable delivery of humanitarian aid by sea.