Belgium to join Gaza aid airdrop operation

The government of Belgium on Wednesday said it will take part in a multi-country operation coordinated by Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza, news agency AFP reported. 

A Belgian plane carrying medical supplies and food worth some €600,000 ($690,000) will "soon" fly to Jordan, and will remain on stand-by to conduct airdrops in coordination with Amman, the defence and foreign ministries said in a statement.

Belgium joins France, Spain and Britain looking to send aid into Gaza by air as fears mount of mass starvation. UN agencies have warned that the Palestinian territory is slipping into famine. 

"I will continue to plead with the Israeli authorities to allow these deliveries to enter Gaza by road as quickly as possible," said Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. 

"These airdrops are a first step, but they can in no way be a cover for the urgent need to facilitate access by land," he added.

The World Food Programme, Unicef and the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned on Tuesday that time was running out and that Gaza was "on the brink of a full-scale famine". 

Some 154 Palestinians have died due to starvation as Israel continues to block all aid to Gaza. Since May, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinian aid seekers, mostly at the US and Israel-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites.