CrossFireArabia, Author at CrossFireArarbia

Jordan Starts Humanitarian Airbridge to Gaza, 16 Flights Daily

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

The first batch of humanitarian aid, part of an air bridge that the Kingdom dispatched for Gaza earlier on Tuesday, arrived in the Strip later on the day.

The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) on Tuesday announced that the Kingdom launched an eight-day air bridge with 16 flights daily to send assistance to Gaza.

During a conference at the King Abdullah II Air Base of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, JAF Media Director Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hiari said that the air bridge ensures the delivery of critical relief supplies to inaccessible areas, preventing spoilage or damage, according to an army statement.

Hiari highlighted that JAF was the first to execute humanitarian airdrops into Gaza, achieving the third-largest modern logistical supply operation.

To date, JAF has carried out 125 Jordanian airdrops, facilitated 266 airdrops by allied forces, and dispatched 53 aircraft to Gaza through Egypt’s El Arish Airport, he noted.

Hiari stressed that JAF continues humanitarian initiatives through the field hospitals in northern and southern Gaza.

He said that the hospitals have treated more than 370,000 patients since the start of the Israeli war on the besieged Strip on October 7, 2023, and fitted 296 advanced prosthetics under the “Restoring Hope” initiative.

Hiari pointed out that JAF completed infrastructure for a new field hospital specialising in obstetrics and neonatal care, noting that the hospital is staffed with 82 personnel, including 55 from the Royal Medical Services.

Also speaking at the conference, Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Momani said that, under Royal directives, 16 military aircraft carrying relief, food and medical supplies, totalling 20 tonnes, were sent to Gaza via Qarara crossing in central Gaza for distribution in the north and south of the Strip, in coordination with the World Food Programme (WFP).

He added that this initiative is part of Jordan’s ongoing efforts, directed by His Majesty King Abdullah, to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

He also noted that two planes carrying aid from Italy and contributions from Greece and Malaysia are part of the relief effort.

Momani highlighted that Jordan was among the first countries to send aid and break the blockade on Gaza.

The minister added that Jordan’s national security relies on “steadfast support” for Palestinians’ presence on their land and the rejection of Israeli displacement policies.

He underscored that this stance aligns with Jordan’s strategic interests and its unwavering national and humanitarian principles.

Momani reiterated that regional peace can only be achieved by recognising the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.

Also speaking at the conference, Secretary-General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) Hussein Shibli pointed out that Jordan had previously dispatched eight similar flights in late November, carrying seven tonnes of aid distributed by the WFP.

Shibli noted that 147 humanitarian convoys, comprising 5,569 trucks carrying around 82,000 tonnes of aid, have been sent to Gaza in cooperation with the JAF.

He stressed JHCO’s commitment to Royal directives, ensuring continued coordination with relevant sides to maintain the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza according to The Jordan Times.

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Palestine Belongs to The Palestinians

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

News

IDF Kills Israeli Contractor by ‘Accident’

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

The Israeli army “accidentally” killed an Israeli worker on Tuesday from a construction company in the central Gaza Strip, according to media reports.

“Earlier today a worker from a construction company carrying out engineering tasks for the Israeli army, commissioned by the Ministry of Defense, was killed in central Gaza,” the army said in a statement.

“A military police investigation has been opened into the incident under the direction of the military prosecution,” it added without providing details about the circumstances of the death.

The Israel Hayom newspaper identified the victim as 38-year-old Jacob Avitan.

Channel 12 cited initial investigations that suggested Avitan was killed in an operational accident, where he was shot due to a misidentification by Israeli forces.

⚡️ Hebrew sources:

In Gaza, Kobi Avitan, an Israeli army contractor, was killed by Israeli forces in Netzarim area after it was mistaken for a Hamas fighter. pic.twitter.com/6Qqd5tvwAx
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) January 28, 2025

The report said he was shot by soldiers while working in the Nitzarim Corridor in central Gaza.

The Israeli military withdrew from most of the Nitzarim Corridor on Monday, allowing more than 300,000 displaced civilians to return to northern Gaza under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.

The first six-week phase of the truce took effect Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave as reported in Anadolu.

News

What’s The Condom Story to Gaza All About?

CrossFireArabia
January 29, 2025

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s order to freeze federal funding, claiming that $50 million had been earmarked for the distribution of condoms in the besieged Gaza Strip.

However, a review of the latest publicly available data from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on condom shipments, covering 2023, reveals no such shipments to Gaza.

In fact, the only shipment to the Middle East that year was a $45,680 delivery to Jordan, which was noted as the first condom shipment to the region since 2019.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) found “that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza,” Leavitt told reporters during her inaugural press conference. “That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money.”

But she did not provide any evidence to support the claim. Anadolu reached out to the White House for clarification but did not immediately receive a response.

USAID’s 2023 report shows that the US delivered over $60 million in contraceptives and condoms globally, with 89% of funds directed to Africa, 9% Asia and 2% to Latin America.

The Trump administration has frozen nearly all foreign assistance programs for at least 90 days, sending shockwaves across the world as countries grapple with an abrupt halt to a range of programs funded by Washington, from development to humanitarian assistance. The US is the largest source of international assistance.

The order, however, includes exceptions for Israel and Egypt, which annually receive $3.3 billion and $1.3 billion in foreign military financing, respectively according to Anadolu.

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Israel Orders UNRWA Shutdown in Jerusalem

CrossFireArabia
January 28, 2025

Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, announced on Tuesday that the Israeli government will sever all ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Danon demanded the agency cease operations and vacate all its facilities in Jerusalem within 48 hours.

UNRWA plays a critical role in providing healthcare and education in the occupied Palestinian territories. Since the outbreak of the genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the agency has supplied 60% of the food entering the besieged strip.

Danon’s statement came ahead of a UN Security Council meeting discussing Israel’s recent legislation to end UNRWA’s legal presence in Palestine. The law, passed by the Knesset, takes effect on January 30.

“The law prohibits UNRWA from operating within Israel’s sovereign borders and bans any communication between Israeli officials and the agency,” Danon said. He emphasized that Israel will terminate all cooperation and communication with UNRWA or any entity representing it.

Danon also informed Security Council members that Israel will stop collaborating with UNRWA within 48 hours. He insisted the agency must halt its activities and evacuate its facilities in occupied Jerusalem.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini addressed the Security Council, warning that the ongoing attacks on the agency harm the lives and futures of Palestinians across the occupied territories. “This undermines their trust in the international community and jeopardizes any prospects for peace and security,” he said.

Lazzarini highlighted that 650,000 Palestinian students in Gaza have been out of school for nearly two years. He stressed the urgent need for UNRWA to continue supporting them.

Ahead of the law taking effect, Danon told reporters, “Israel will halt all ties with UNRWA and anyone acting on its behalf as of January 30.” He clarified that the decision was not made lightly or hastily, calling it a “necessary” move rather than a political one according to the Quds News Network.