King Abdullah II of Jordan said on Monday that his country’s air force had airdropped “urgent medical aid” to a field hospital operated by the kingdom in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military confirmed the unusual move and said in a statement that it had been a coordinated effort between the neighboring nations.
In a post on social media, the king said it was “our duty to aid our brothers and sisters injured in the war on Gaza.” Photographs shared in his post showed soldiers loading a large wooden crate bearing a Jordanian flag onto a military aircraft with a forklift.
Israel’s blockade and recent siege of Gaza have put some hospitals out of service, and aid deliveries through the Rafah crossing with Egypt have been inadequate, humanitarian groups say. This appeared to be the first time in this war that aid was dropped into Gaza from the air.
The Israeli military said the shipment included medical supplies and food that would “be used by the medical staff for patients.”
Dropping aid from a plane required a “complex logistical operation,” Jordan’s communications minister, Muhannad Mubaideen, said on Monday in a television interview.
The move comes amid growing condemnation by Jordanian leaders of Israel since it began its bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip and largely prevented food, water and electricity from entering the besieged enclave, in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
On Wednesday the kingdom ordered the immediate recall of its ambassador to Israel over the war. Similarly, Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, ordered Israel’s ambassador in Amman — who had already left the country — not to return.
“The return of the ambassadors will be tied to Israel stopping its war on Gaza and stopping the humanitarian disaster,” the foreign ministry said.
Mr. Safadi also bluntly told Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in a news conference in Amman, the Jordanian capital, on Saturday to “stop this madness.”
Israel and Jordan maintain a crucial regional alliance, and the kingdom is the custodian of the Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, a key holy site that is often a source of disputes and conflict with Palestinians.
At the same time, large crowds have been protesting across the kingdom, where many are of Palestinian origin, for the past month demanding a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. Some have demonstrated daily in front of the Israeli Embassy in Amman.
Rana F. Sweis contributed reporting from Amman, Jordan.
