PARIS - France on Aug 1 started to air-drop 40,000kg of humanitarian aid to Gaza as it urged Israel to allow full access to the area which it said was slipping into famine.

“Faced with the absolute urgency, we have just conducted a food airdrop operation in Gaza. Thank you to our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, and to our military personnel for their commitment,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media platform X.

“Airdrops are not enough. Israel must open full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine,” he added.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier on Aug 1 had told broadcaster franceinfo that France was sending four flights carrying 10kg of humanitarian aid each to Gaza from Jordan.

A global hunger monitor said on July 29, that a

famine scenario was unfolding in the Gaza Strip

France participated six times in the European humanitarian airlift set up in mid-October 2023 by the European Union (EU) to Jordan and Egypt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, Mr Macron's office said.

The European airlift enabled the organisation of more than 60 flights carrying over 3 million kilograms of humanitarian cargo, with most of the donations in-kind transiting through Egypt and Jordan, according to Mr Macron's office.

Part of this aid has still not entered Gaza due to a lack of agreement from the Israeli authorities, the president's office said. REUTERS