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Resumption of humanitarian airdrops into Gaza
Joint press statement by the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Federal Foreign Office
Germany and the Bundeswehr are once again helping to provide support for the civilian population in Gaza, by airdropping humanitarian relief supplies. The first two Luftwaffe flights today dropped 34 pallets with a total of almost 14 tonnes of urgently needed food and medical supplies, which are being provided by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO).
Following consideration by the security cabinet, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius instructed the Luftwaffe on 28 July 2025 to begin the aid flights as soon as possible. Comprehensive preparations had been ongoing in the air force and army since Friday in order to ensure that they could take part in the multinational air bridge operation as rapidly as possible after the decision was taken. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, had asked the international community for renewed support for an air bridge operation coordinated by Jordan, intended to improve the humanitarian situation of the civilian population in Gaza.
The people urgently need large quantities of food, medicines and other aid supplies. Working together with the United Nations and international relief organisations, every available avenue and possibility must be used and extended; this applies above all to supplies delivered by land.
Defence Minister Pistorius commented:
At this time, Gaza is lacking food and medicines above all else. For many people – including many children – nothing less than survival is at stake. That is why, along with Federal Chancellor Merz and Foreign Minister Wadephul, I have decided that we should airdrop urgently needed relief supplies over Gaza, as we did in 2024. These airdrops are challenging and require a great deal of expertise and experience. My thanks go to our specialists in the air force and army, who once again will immediately be on the spot. It is also clear that these flights can only make a very small contribution towards providing the people on the ground with the absolute necessities. My expectation is that Israel must ensure comprehensive humanitarian assistance for the people in Gaza, who have been suffering acutely for months. Together with our partners, we must ensure that large quantities of relief supplies and foodstuffs again immediately reach those in need.
Foreign Minister Wadephul emphasised:
We are doing everything in our power to help people in Gaza. Given the extremely dramatic situation, the dropping of relief supplies from the air is one additional way of ensuring that the urgently needed supplies reach those in need quickly. Moreover, we continue with the experienced UN organisations to work flat out to restore the established humanitarian land routes, which airdrops cannot replace. It remains clear that relief goods can only reach people in sufficient volumes by road. That is why in our talks we urge the Israeli Government to allow the UN and international relief organisations safe access, and, above all, to ensure safe distribution.
Background information
The German contribution will be made by two A400M aircraft belonging to the air force and by soldiers from the army operating a packing system for the pallets to be dropped. The contribution relies on the German contingent in Counter Daesh/Capacity Building Iraq in Jordan. The two aircraft, which flew from Wunstorf to Memmingen and on to Jordan on Wednesday already, are stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in al-Azraq, Jordan.
Previously, from 13 to 31 March 2024, the air force participated with other international partners in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza with airdrops as part of the Jordanian initiative Solidarity Path Operation. In total, 316 tonnes of aid were dropped by 39 flights. The flights were stopped at the end of March 2024 because more efficient transport routes were available. For further information about airdrops and the aircraft used, see the information provided on www.bundeswehr.de.