New York [US], August 13: During President Joe Biden's administration, the U.S. military carried out waves of air drops of food into Gaza, delivering some 1,220 tons of assistance.
But the option hasn't been seriously considered by Donald Trump's administration, U.S. officials and other sources say, even as he voices concern over starvation in Gaza amid Israel's nearly two-year-old military campaign against Hamas.
One source said it is seen as an unrealistic option because airdrops would not come close to meeting the needs of 2.1 million Palestinians.
This comes even as close U.S. allies including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Britain have carried out air drops of assistance to Gaza.
Humanitarian aid groups have long been critical of air drops of aid, calling them more symbolic than truly effective when the scale of the need in Gaza requires open land routes for large amounts of aid to enter the enclave.
The heavy packages could also present a danger to civilians on the ground rushing toward the parachuting aid.
"It just hasn't been part of the discussions," said one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Trump administration deliberations.
A source familiar with the issue said: "It hasn't been a serious consideration because it's not really a serious option at this moment."
Some U.S. officials war-gamed the option and found "it's absolutely unrealistic," said the source familiar with the matter. The source said it was unknown how "big a lift capacity" could be managed even if the Israelis approved U.S. use of the airspace.
A diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was unaware of any U.S. interest in participating in the air drop effort.
Another official in a U.S.-allied country which is taking part in the airdrops said there had been no conversations with the United States about Washington taking part in the effort.
The official added that the United States was not providing logistical support for the airdrops being carried out by other countries.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
