BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - In response to the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza, the European Union is stepping up its emergency assistance to the Palestinian people.
The European Commission announced that it is launching a Humanitarian Air Bridge operation consisting of several flights to Egypt to bring lifesaving supplies to humanitarian organizations on the ground in Gaza.
The first two flights, carrying humanitarian cargo from UNICEF including shelter items, medicines and hygiene kits, will take off this week.
This operation via the European Humanitarian Response Capacity will facilitate the delivery of assistance to people in need in Gaza. Additional emergency items from EU emergency stockpiles are available and ready to be deployed to our humanitarian partners as soon as requested, the Commission said.
However, it is not clear how the aid will reach Gaza as the border crossing at Rafah remains closed.
In the wake of the ongoing war, the European Union had tripled its humanitarian assistance to more than EUR75 million to support civilians in Gaza. The funding will be channeled through selected EU humanitarian partners operating on the ground taking into account capacity and access.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened with Israel implementing a siege of the thickly populated enclave in retaliation against the deadly Hamas attacks.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Defense Department said a Marine rapid response force is being deployed to the waters off the coast of Israel to respond quickly to the evolving security environment in the Middle East.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a prepare to deploy order to around 2,000 Marines and sailors and a range of units.
'No decisions have been made to deploy any forces at this time. The Secretary will continue to assess our force posture and remain in close contact with allies and partners,' Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
Additionally, he approved a deployment extension for the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/Sixth Fleet Area of Operations. The strike group was nearing the end of its six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command.
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