First U.S. humanitarian aid flight for Gaza lands in Egypt

The first U.S. government flight with humanitarian aid for Gaza landed in Egypt's northern Sinai on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The plane's cargo will be transferred to the United Nations, which will deliver the materials to Gaza, senior Biden administration officials said. They added that it’s the first of three planned U.S. flights.

"This will be to bring a series of items, medical items, food aid, winter items, given that winter is coming in Gaza," a senior administration official said on a call with reporters.

Asked how the delivery will differ from the truckloads of aid that have already entered Gaza, an official said that "some of these things have already gone in, but there’ll be additional items."

More than 2,000 truckloads of aid have been delivered to Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the administration, including about 800 during the first four days of the humanitarian pause. Upon the end of the pause in fighting for hostage releases, a separate senior administration official said, "this level or increased levels" of aid to Gaza must be sustained.

The number of aid truckloads reaching Gaza now is far fewer than the usual number that reached the strip before the war. Before Oct. 7, an average of 10,000 truckloads of "commercial and humanitarian commodities (excluding fuel)" entered Gaza every month, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Follow live updates on the Israel-Hamas war

"Just want to acknowledge from the president on down, we understand that what is getting in is nowhere near enough for normal life in Gaza, and we will continue to push for additional steps, including the restoration of the flow of commercial goods and additional basic services,” a senior administration official said on the call with reporters.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

The two subsequent U.S. flights are expected in the coming days.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

President Joe Biden said Monday that the pause in fighting has "enabled a significant surge in additional humanitarian assistance."

"The United States has led the humanitarian response into Gaza — building on years of work as the largest funder of humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people," Biden said in a statement. "We are taking full advantage of the pause in fighting to increase the amount of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza, and we will continue our efforts to build a future of peace and dignity for the Palestinian people."

In October, the White House announced that the U.S. would provide $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.