A Belgian Defence aircraft carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza took off from Melsbroek military airport on Monday at around 13:30.
The plane is first set to land in Amman, Jordan, before circling back to collect the rest of the aid. The initial drop over Gaza’s beaches could occur as early as Wednesday, departing from Zarqa Airport.
In a first for Belgian Defence, the A400M transport plane — replacing the C130 — has been utilised for these types of military missions within a humanitarian context. On board is the B-FAST aid package consisting of 6,000kg of food supplies and thousands of hygiene kits.
The Belgian aid will be checked by both Jordanian and Israeli authorities before the drop, noted Colonel Bruno Beeckmans, the commander of the 15th Wing (Belgian army’s aerial transport unit).
"The complexity of this operation is that we are in a war zone," he said. "Usually, the drop zone is secure; however, this isn’t the case in Gaza, where we have no personnel on the ground."
The Belgian Army detachment will remain in Jordan at least until 10th March. They will participate in distributing the aid supplies of other nations as part of the humanitarian coalition, coordinated by Jordanian authorities.
