Israel still controls access to Gaza, but these aid runs are getting life-saving supplies over the border

Despite the potential ceasefire agreement, the people of Gaza are far from free. This article will briefly introduce the situation beyond Israel's heavily fortified border wall, revealing the true circumstances of the Gaza Strip.

While Donald Trump claims to have grand plans to rebuild Gaza into the "Middle East's Riviera," the reality is that this small territory remains inhabited by Palestinian people who are merely struggling to survive. Israel's bombings may have ceased, but the partial blockade of Gaza has not been lifted, leaving millions isolated from the world. The need for sustained humanitarian aid remains critical.

As the world contemplates Trump's proposed plan to "take over Gaza," raze the area, and expand his real estate ambitions, the difficult and uncertain work of providing vital assistance to local residents continues. The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been in effect for nearly three weeks, enabling the release of hostages and increased aid entering the Gaza Strip. These are positive steps, but much more needs to be done.

However, this aid corridor is controlled by Israel, and any further access to Gaza remains severely restricted. Since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) still control the land crossings on three sides, there is no direct access to Gaza from Israel. This is why ABC News traveled to Jordan, east of the territory. The complex logistics highlight the challenges of delivering aid.

To gain a deeper understanding, ABC News doubled back, traveling southwest through southern Israel into Gaza on a "Mercy Mission" aboard a Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) Black Hawk helicopter. For the past eight days, an aerial relay service has existed in the skies over Jordan and Israel, with two helicopters flying side-by-side on each flight. The journey into and out of Gaza takes approximately 3.5 hours, and as the crew approached the border, the extent of the destruction began to become clearer.

During the war, Palestinian journalists risked their lives to get news of the destruction in Gaza out, drawing the world's attention. This mission also demonstrated how difficult it is for Western journalists to enter Gaza to tell the story, and how powerful militaries can impede them. Initially, only gray and brown shapes could be seen in the distance, but as they drew closer, the twisted wreckage began to come into view. The skeletons of buildings, with blown-out windows and walls, surprisingly remained standing, while others were reduced to piles of rubble. This is just a small portion of the more than 360 square kilometers that make up the occupied territory of Gaza.

The helicopter was filled with medical supplies, flying from a military base outside Amman to a landing zone inside the Gaza border. The destination was a buffer zone where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had retreated after the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, which still controls the land along the border fence. The Israeli side says this is to protect communities on the other side, which bore the brunt of Hamas' deadly attacks on October 7. According to Israeli authorities, nearly 1,200 people were killed that day, and the legacy of that event remains a focus for the country.

The aid urgently needed in Gaza is a reminder of the almost unimaginable price the Palestinian people have paid. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 47,000 people have been killed in the Israeli bombings, and many more have suffered life-altering injuries. As we flew over the fence line, it was a no-man's land. Excavators had carved paths in the dirt on either side of the wire and barbed wire. On the Israeli side, there were agricultural fields leading to the barrier. On the Gaza side, what was once farmland is now barren.

These aid supplies are being airlifted in because they are of high value and need, and agencies do not want them sitting on trucks on highways for long periods of time. ABC News' access, along with this aid mission, was limited to a small corner of Gaza. Every day, the Jordanians communicate with the Israelis about their flights. If the IDF says entry is not permitted, the Jordanians say they cannot fly. However, the Royal Jordanian Air Force wants to fly. While they are satisfied with their mission, they are also concerned that a misstep could cause Israel to withdraw permission.

Aid was entering Gaza before the ceasefire went into effect, but it was far below the amount that humanitarian organizations said was required. Warnings were already being issued about the collapse of the healthcare system and widespread hunger in parts of Gaza. Israeli authorities have released figures on the tonnage of supplies entering the Gaza Strip. Late last year, their own data showed that shipments had fallen to well below pre-war levels, prompting global outcry and threats from the Biden White House to halt military support to the IDF. Israel insisted that supplies were entering, but that it was the fault of humanitarian agencies for not distributing them. This response indicated that the ongoing Israeli attacks made the task too difficult.

The situation has improved since the cessation of hostilities, but restrictions remain. Moreover, these restrictions are even stricter than before the war, when Gaza was already described as the world's largest open-air prison. After months of negotiations with Israel, the Jordanian government successfully established a "air bridge" for humanitarian aid to Gaza. Helicopters flown by the 8th Squadron landed at a helipad in Wadi al-Salka. We approached the Kissufim land crossing into Gaza and were closely monitored by Israeli watchtowers near the border fence.

The Royal Jordanian Air Force's 8th Squadron is trained to help the Kingdom of Jordan combat ISIS from the air, identifying moving targets and attacking them with forward-firing guns. However, nearly 10 years later, with ISIS eliminated, the squadron mainly keeps busy through training. In the past week, it has found a new use—transporting baby formula, adult diapers, and absorbable sutures. "Jordan is a peaceful country," one of the 8th Squadron's pilots said almost shyly this week when asked what the squadron usually does. "We don't have wars." Jordanian Air Force crews say they feel very satisfied helping the Palestinians.

"It's really great to do this," a pilot who has flown five aid flights said proudly over the noise of the helicopter's propellers. "I am happy to be able to help our people in Gaza." The donations collected and placed on the helicopters by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) came from countries such as Jordan, Qatar, Greece, Egypt, and Malaysia. "We started this operation a week ago," JHCO Secretary General Hussein Shibli told ABC News. "From Jordan to Gaza, we are transporting valuable items that Gaza needs, such as some medicines, medical equipment, some baby food, and baby formula."

Although the eight-day flying window is coming to an end, Dr. Shibli hopes that Israeli authorities may allow them to continue flying, while the initial six-week ceasefire agreement remains in effect. "I think with this coordination, it's going smoothly these days... but, of course, there are some obstacles here and there, but we can cope." Again, access is the key issue. Our time on the ground was only about five minutes, so the Royal Jordanian Air Force crews operated with the speed of a Formula One pit crew, unloading a ton of aid from each Black Hawk helicopter. Then, we were airborne again, but the aid continued onward—far beyond the borders that international media are allowed to enter.

A few hundred meters from the barbed wire and fences surrounding the helipad, six white trucks were parked. After the helicopters took off, the boxes they left behind were loaded onto the trucks. There was no contact between the crew and the drivers. The World Food Programme (WFP) heads the logistics of getting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. It organizes trucks to transport the medical aid to World Health Organization warehouses. Semitrailers bearing the WFP logo rumble along the bombed-out streets into Deir al-Balah, where the pallets are stored in warehouses, ready to be transported to hospitals and clinics throughout Gaza as needed.

Throughout the Gaza war, Israel has strictly controlled everything that goes in and out of the territory. Even before Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, which catalyzed this latest war, Israel held the reins. However, for the past 15 months, the only media access to Gaza has been limited to short overland trips with IDF personnel. Despite numerous requests, many media organizations have failed to secure spots on these trips. Last year, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel petitioned the Supreme Court for access for journalists to the Gaza Strip. The case was dismissed, but it has reiterated its access request since the ceasefire went into effect. "These unprecedented restrictions have severely hampered reporting, depriving the world of a full understanding of the situation in Gaza and placing an undue and dangerous burden on our Palestinian colleagues in the territory," the Foreign Press Association said in a statement on January 23. "These journalists are risking their lives to keep the world informed about this vital story. "With the ceasefire in effect and military activity reduced, there is no reason to delay granting access any longer."

This is another reason why this trip with the Royal Jordanian Air Force was novel. Although brief, it provided insight into the destruction of the occupied Palestinian territory. Middle Eastern countries have long wanted to reveal what is happening in Gaza, and international media have been eager to see it. Little by little, that pressure has been building. Although Israel has shown little sign of relenting and opening its doors. Donald Trump has listed Jordan as a possible place to resettle the people of Gaza, should his proposal to take over the Gaza Strip come to fruition. The Kingdom of Jordan plays a stabilizing role in the region—it is a partner of the United States and receives $2.7 billion in funding from Washington each year.

Jordan has long been a conduit between emergency aid and the people of Gaza, but it has rejected Trump's proposals for further action. King Abdullah of Jordan is expected to travel to Washington next week, and these talks will have a decidedly different tone given the latest proposals from the White House. More than half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian descent. Relations between the two countries are strong, but Jordan does not want to become a de facto Palestinian state. Trump called Gaza "hell on earth," while he stood at the side of a commander of an army that has dropped tens of thousands of tons of bombs and missiles on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

It took 15 months to reach a ceasefire agreement, and Trump tried to put his own stamp on the future of Gaza in less than 15 days in office. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has placed preparations for the so-called second phase of the ceasefire agreement above his trip to the United States, which, according to the original agreement, should have begun earlier this week. In these negotiations, a plan was supposed to be drafted to repatriate all remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, further withdraw the IDF, and ultimately achieve lasting peace in the region. Given Gaza's challenging history—even before the past 15 months of war, the latter may be just a fantasy.

However, Trump's proposal completely upends all of this, potentially giving Israel the green light to resume fighting and allowing Hamas to avoid repatriating the hostages it still holds. It is a very delicate moment. The Royal Jordanian Air Force flight squadron hopes to handle this with care—just as they handle the aid they escort to Gaza. As long as the IDF allows its flights to land, Jordan will continue to airlift aid to Gaza.