ISTANBUL 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out its 17th joint airdrop mission of humanitarian aid Thursday for Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip, according to the Emirati news agency, WAM. 

The airdrop was part of the Gulf country's "Birds of Goodness" operation of humanitarian aid airdrops to Palestinians.

The mission. which used Emirati and Egyptian aircraft, carried 79 tons (87 US tons) of food and relief aid, bringing the total to 743 tons since the operation launched in early November, said WAM.

Under the directives of Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE, launched its "Gallant Knight 3" humanitarian operation on Nov. 5 to provide relief and medical assistance to Palestinians, under which "Birds of Goodness" is a part of the overall Emirati operation to help Palestinians in Gaza.

In the past three months, Arab countries, namely; Egypt, UAE, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain and Morocco have carried out joint operations to drop food aid into Gaza, in addition to similar operations by the US and some European countries.

Israel has launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

The offensive has killed more than 32,500 victims and injured nearly 75,000 amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli onslaught amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar