ABC boards aid flight to Gaza
Matthew Doran: On the tarmac of the Royal Jordanian Air Force's Kaab base outside Amman, the engines on this C-130 Hercules are undergoing their final checks. It's not a long mission for this crew, but it's an important one that the Jordanian authorities hope will continue for days, if not weeks to come. Earlier, flight crews had packed this plane, Guts Airlines, as the sign next to the front door reads, with eight one-tonne pallets of aid. It's mainly food in these packs, things like powdered milk among the supplies loaded into the cargo hold. With everything secured into place, it's time for take-off. Just moments after the plane is airborne, the crew are climbing all over the pallets inside the hold, connecting the parachutes, which are sitting on top of the grey tarpaulin-wrapped crates, to a thick metal wire running the length of the cargo hold. That ensures they're pulled open as soon as the pallets drop out the back. As the crow flies, this is a journey of just over 150 kilometres, but this flight is taking a slightly longer path, heading west from Amman over the Jordan River, flying above the West Bank before entering Israeli airspace. From there, it's over the top of Tel Aviv, one of Israel's busiest cities, and then out into the Mediterranean before heading south towards the Gaza Strip. As the plane crosses from Israeli territory into Gaza, the scenes out the window change dramatically. It is summer here, so it's not the greenest time of year, but the flashes of Gaza we can see are a grey-beige wasteland, a thick cloak of dust choking the Strip, the skeletons of what were once buildings poking into the sky. The crew are tethered to the walls of the plane as the back cargo hold opens. You can't hear it over the din of the engines, but it wouldn't be surprising if they gasped at the scene below. Flying much lower than usual, the lead crewman raises his hand and yells before the moment of release. And just like that, the airdrop is over, eight pallets rolling out of the plane, we're told, over Gaza City. Israeli authorities are permitting these flights by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, but they're clearly sensitive about them. We're told we can't take any videos or photos of what we've seen of the destruction on the ground, or it could jeopardise further flights. More restrictions on the media after almost two years of Israel blocking all international journalists independently accessing the Strip. The Jordanians know this isn't the best way to distribute aid, but they are continuing their missions, symbolism wrapped in with a small material benefit for the people of Gaza below. This is Matthew Doran flying with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, reporting for AM.
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ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
ABC boards aid flight to Gaza
Andy Park: In the sky above Gaza, the Jordanian Air Force is continuing aid drops for a fourth day in a row since Israel partially eased aid restrictions in the war-ravaged Strip over the weekend. On the ground, in the devastation, humanitarian agencies argue it's not the best approach to delivering food and other supplies and that there's no substitute for truck convoys. Arab nations agree, but are persisting with the missions in support for the Palestinian population. The ABC has been given access to one of those flights. Our Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran was on board. Matthew Doran: On the tarmac of the Royal Jordanian Air Force's Kaab base outside Amman, the engines on this C-130 Hercules are undergoing their final checks. It's not a long mission for this crew, but it's an important one that the Jordanian authorities hope will continue for days, if not weeks to come. Earlier, flight crews had packed this plane, Guts Airlines, as the sign next to the front door reads, with eight one-tonne pallets of aid. It's mainly food in these packs, things like powdered milk among the supplies loaded into the cargo hold. With everything secured into place, it's time for take-off. Just moments after the plane is airborne, the crew are climbing all over the pallets inside the hold, connecting the parachutes, which are sitting on top of the grey tarpaulin-wrapped crates, to a thick metal wire running the length of the cargo hold. That ensures they're pulled open as soon as the pallets drop out the back. As the crow flies, this is a journey of just over 150 kilometres, but this flight is taking a slightly longer path, heading west from Amman over the Jordan River, flying above the West Bank before entering Israeli airspace. From there, it's over the top of Tel Aviv, one of Israel's busiest cities, and then out into the Mediterranean before heading south towards the Gaza Strip. As the plane crosses from Israeli territory into Gaza, the scenes out the window change dramatically. It is summer here, so it's not the greenest time of year, but the flashes of Gaza we can see are a grey-beige wasteland, a thick cloak of dust choking the Strip, the skeletons of what were once buildings poking into the sky. The crew are tethered to the walls of the plane as the back cargo hold opens. You can't hear it over the din of the engines, but it wouldn't be surprising if they gasped at the scene below. Flying much lower than usual, the lead crewman raises his hand and yells before the moment of release. And just like that, the airdrop is over, eight pallets rolling out of the plane, we're told, over Gaza City. Israeli authorities are permitting these flights by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, but they're clearly sensitive about them. We're told we can't take any videos or photos of what we've seen of the destruction on the ground, or it could jeopardise further flights. More restrictions on the media after almost two years of Israel blocking all international journalists independently accessing the Strip. The Jordanians know this isn't the best way to distribute aid, but they are continuing their missions, symbolism wrapped in with a small material benefit for the people of Gaza below. This is Matthew Doran flying with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, reporting for AM.
