German military drops 192 tons of aid supplies over Gaza

The German Armed Forces have so far dropped 192 metric tons of aid supplies by parachute during their mission over the Gaza Strip.

There have been 18 flights so far, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said in Berlin on Wednesday. Two more flights are planned for Wednesday.

The relief supplies were dropped from A400M transport aircraft on 386 pallets and are intended to land in designated drop zones. The spokeswoman said that comprehensive risk management measures were in place to prevent people on the ground from being hit.

"Satellite images are being used in particular, which can also lead to drop zones being rejected, for example," said the spokeswoman. In one case, the parachute of a pallet did not open, but there were no injuries on the ground.

The German Armed Forces, or Bundeswehr, intend to continue the aid organized together with other countries for at least another week. The situation will then be reassessed.

Aid organizations are sceptical about the whole idea of air drops, pointing to high costs and low quantities of aid delivered, although they consider it better than nothing.

In March, Israel imposed an almost complete blockade on aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, where it is waging war against the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. This blockade was eased after increasing international criticism.

Representatives of 26 Western countries and the European Commission on Tuesday renewed pressure on Israel to allow aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip to avert a famine.