<b>Live updates: Follow the latest news on </b><a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2024/03/06/israel-gaza-live-ceasefire-talks/" target="_blank"><b>Israel-Gaza</b></a> The UAE Ministry of Defence has announced the completion of the second and third humanitarian and relief aid drops by the air forces of the Emirates and Egypt over northern <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/gaza" target="_blank">Gaza</a>. Joint teams from both countries carried out operations using aircraft carrying about 38 tonnes of food and medical aid on Wednesday, which followed 42 tonnes being dropped by three aircraft on Tuesday. It brings the total to 116 tonnes since the operation's launch after the first drop last week, state news agency Wam reported. Footage, released on Tuesday, shows military personnel hard at work as they fly over the Gaza Strip and drop aid to help alleviate those trapped below. The operation, which is set to run for several weeks, is part of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2023/11/05/president-sheikh-mohamed-orders-humanitarian-operation-to-support-gaza-civilians/" target="_blank">Gallant Knight 3</a>, which was launched in November 2023 to support <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/palestine" target="_blank">Palestinian</a> civilians. Gaza is in need of vast quantities of aid, as five months of war has left many of its 2.3 million people at risk of starvation. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/israel/" target="_blank">Israel</a> controls the entry of relief supplies into the enclave through Gaza's Rafah border crossing with <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/egypt/" target="_blank">Egypt</a> and the Kerem Shalom crossing. The Erez/Beit Hanoun land entry point into northern Gaza has also been closed by the Israelis, while a maritime blockade is in place. Alongside the aerial drops, a plan to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2024/03/06/maritime-sea-aid-gaza-cyprus-plan/" target="_blank">deliver aid to Gaza by sea</a> was endorsed by the EU on Tuesday. However, humanitarian groups warn that the only way to prevent widespread famine is for Israel to allow more lorries to bring food into the enclave by land. The international community is applying more pressure on Israel over the crisis, with American voices growing increasingly firm. “Our goal is clear – to establish a comprehensive aid strategy that includes air, land and sea routes to maximise the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and ensure that aid is distributed to everyone in Gaza who needs it,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday.
