Jordan's King says Gaza aid must be doubled to avert catastrophe

AMMAN - Jordan's King Abdullah who participated in an air drop of aid to Gaza said on Tuesday that food and aid to the war-torn enclave must be doubled to avert worsening an already "catastrophic humanitarian situation".

The monarch was quoted by state media as telling visiting USAID chief Samantha Power that the international community had to put more pressure on Israel to ease restrictions on the flow of food into the territory.

Jordan is urging its Western allies to lobby Israel to increase aid coming from the kingdom via Kerem Shalom on the border of Egypt, Israel and Gaza, beyond the existing Rafah crossing, officials say.

"His Majesty stressed the need to open land crossings and expand air drops to help the people of Gaza and especially in northern Gaza," the monarch was quoted as telling Power.

The flow of aid entering Gaza from Egypt has declined dramatically in the past few weeks, but Israel has said it is not blocking aid and blames the UN and the Palestinian side for any delays.

Later the king went on board a Jordanian military plane to take part in a joint operation coordinated with several countries' air forces to drop tons of food parcels along the Gaza coast for a second day.

Three Jordanian C-130 military transport aircraft joined four other planes from Egypt, Qatar, France and the UAE, in the biggest air drop operation so far to Gaza, the army said.

A palace statement said the monarch was also at the airport before the planes took off to check that humanitarian supplies were ready and preparations were completed.

It was the first time the royal court formally announced the monarch had joined such a mission to Gaza after an earlier secret one earlier this month was leaked days after by local media.

The waterproof parcels of ready-made meals were parachuted over several locations along the coast where hundreds of desperate people rushed to collect them.

Jordan, which the UN and Western donors have turned into a regional hub for humanitarian supplies to Gaza, on Monday for the first time carried out four flights, along with the French army, to drop food to thousands of displaced people sheltering on the beach.

Previous air drops that parachuted in medicines and humanitarian provisions were sent to hospitals that the Jordanian army runs in Gaza.