Jordan blocks access to Middle East Eye after investigation on Gaza aid drops
Jordanian authorities have blocked access to Middle East Eye's website, days after it published an investigation alleging that the Hashemite Kingdom had charged exorbitant fees while overseeing the delivery of international aid into Gaza.
In the article, sources from several international aid organisations told MEE that NGOs were having to pay $2,200 for every aid truck entering Gaza and that Jordanian authorities were charging between $200,000 and $400,000 per airdrop over Gaza.
According to the sources, around $200,000 was charged for each random drop, and $400,000 for targeted missions, despite each aircraft carrying the equivalent of less than half a truckload of aid.
A day after the report was published, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), the official body that acts as the sole conduit for aid passing through the country, said it strongly rejected MEE's reporting.
The JHCO media office said the costs of the airdrops were, in fact, slightly higher than those stated in MEE’s report, with untargeted airdrops costing $210,000 each and GPS-guided airdrops reaching “up to $450,000”.
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