Jordanian Air Force Conducts Unprecedented Medical Supply Airdrop Over Gaza 

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 10,000 and there are a reported tens of thousands of civilians wounded after weeks of Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground assault in response to Hamas’ Oct.7 massacres against soldiers and civilians in southern Israel. 

Hamas on Monday has claimed that 250,000 houses, apartments and structures have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip thus far, and hospitals have reiterated they are fast running out fuel needed to run vital generators. Neighboring Jordan has embarked on a rare intervention in Gaza, announcing that its air force had dropped “urgent medical aid” to a Gaza hospital which has been run under Jordanian government oversight since 2009.

An Israeli official has told Axios that the Jordanian air drop “was conducted in coordination with Israel’s military.” This despite that the two countries whose relations are governed by a historic peace treaty have witnessed ties approaching near breaking point in the last several days.

The supplies fell via parachutes after the hospital said it is running out of medical supplies to treat thousands of wounded, and also at a moment aid convoys have been held up at the Rafah crossing with Egypt. 

Jordan’s King Abdullah II confirmed the airdrop in an early Monday statement, saying on X, “Our fearless air force personnel air-dropped at midnight urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza.”

“This is our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza,” he added. “We will always be there for our Palestinian brethren.”

This rare coordination with Israel happened despite Jordan just five days ago moving to recall its ambassadors from Israel in protest of the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip.

Jordan also has very close relations with the US military and intelligence services, yet its domestic situation is tense and delicate, given that over half of the entire Jordanian population is of Palestinian origin. The Pentagon has training bases in the country, in cooperation with Jordanian forces.

But separately, Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh also on Monday issued the strongest warning yet aimed at Israel from Amman. He said any move by Israel to initiate a mass displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and West Bank would be seen as a “declaration of war”.

There’s no way this happened without Israel’s consent and it’s very unlikely this becomes an ongoing, meaningful airlift. Ultimately about optics: King Abdullah looks like he’s using the Jordanian military to challenge Israel’s blockade https://t.co/fUHRWdbYOW

— Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom) November 6, 2023

“The continuation of the sinful aggression against the Gaza Strip, with all its crimes, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law,” Khasawneh said. And that’s when he declared:

“It is necessary to stop the impunity and protection that gives Israel the license to kill Palestinian civilians. International humanitarian law prohibits and criminalizes targeting and killing civilians without exception,” the Jordanian prime minister added.

Any attempts or creating conditions to displace Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank are a red line and Jordan will be considered as a “declaration of war”…

Since the start of the conflict last month, Jordanian officials have also warned of the potential of the conflict to spread, threatening “the security of the entire region.”

“This is not about religion, it is about politics. And what we’ve seen in the recent years is that the charge of anti-Semitism being weaponized in order to silence any criticism of #Israel. Let me be very clear: Being proPalestinian is not being anti-Semitic.”—Queen Rania#Gaza pic.twitter.com/7ORXcBfyx0

— Sᴀཞᴀʜ (@SarahSamuel_) November 6, 2023

Regional stability related to unrest in Israel or on its borders has historically centered on the separate peace deals Israel has made (brokered under the US) with both Egypt and Jordan. In return, Washington pumps billions in military and foreign aid to the Egyptian and Jordanian governments.