Protesters in the United States demanding a ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza Strip dismissed Washington’s airdrop of humanitarian aid in the Palestinian territory on Saturday (Mar 2). According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the protesters, who gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, said that the Biden administration should stop supplying military weapons to Israel.
Speaking to Reuters, protester Kathy Boylan said, “We’re dropping some food, and we’re dropping the bombs, and the tanks and the bullets and everything else at the same time. That’s what he’s Biden got to do.”
“Stop sending the money in the weapons,” Boylan, who works with the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Movement, added.
US makes first airdrop in Gaza
The US on Saturday carried out the first of what it said would be a series of humanitarian airdrops of food into Gaza. Reuters reported that three C-130 US military planes delivered more than 38,000 meals into the territory. The Jordanian military also took part in the operation.
Palestinians posted videos on social media showing boxes of aid being dropped. An Israeli official in Washington said, “Israel welcomes the humanitarian airdrops by the US, which were discussed and coordinated with us.”
Tributes paid to US airman who self-immolated outside embassy
Meanwhile, the protesters in Washington DC also paid tributes to US airman Aaron Bushnell, who died after self-immolating outside the embassy in protest of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Bushnell, 52, a cyber defence operations specialist with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron, died from injuries sustained in the incident.
Also watch | Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz plans US visit without PM Netanyahu’s permission
“We also honour the life of Aaron Bushnell, who sacrificed his life outside of this very embassy… in an act of extreme protest. He was an active member of the US Air Force who saw this country’s complicity in genocide and left the world saying the words ‘Free, Free Palestine’. We now ask for a moment of silence in honour of our martyrs and Aaron,” an unidentified speaker told the news agency.
(With inputs from agencies)