A quick flight to Gaza

The Jordan Times was honoured to accompany a Jordanian Royal Air Force's C-130 cargo plane that carried essential food supplies to Gaza on Sunday. 

The plane I boarded was the second in an air convoy which included another Jordanian C-130 and four cargo planes from the US, Egypt, France and Belgium.

The four-engine C-130 was roaring but it was quite inside with army personnel readying the aid packages and decorating them with the Jordanian flag and writing of prayers and greetings for the Gazans.

Aid was loaded and the back door of the plane was closed off and we were told to sit down firmly and prepare for taking off and for our cameras to take pictures of the airdrop packages, which will be falling with parachutes over Gaza soon. 

That went really fast and each one of us the five journalists aboard was waiting impatiently for the back door to open and for the aid to fly. Right when the back door opened, a Special Force officer was commanding the operation and ordered the release of aid packages with hand signals while saying, "In the name of God for God's blessing."

Looking through the window of the plane I was stuck to, I saw down horrific destruction and smoke prophesying death and starvation but inside the plan I saw hard-working and professional army people trying with pure hearts to give hope to Gazans.

The army personnel were determined and full of enthusiasm, dropping with one hand aid and sending with the other a message to the entire world: We are the Jordanian Armed Forces – Arab Army.  

Raed Omari
Editor-in-Chief  of  The Jordan Times