Senator Chris Van Hollen has said Israel has denied him and Senator Jeff Merkley permission to join a Jordanian flight to airdrop food in Gaza.

“Netanyahu is restricting aid trucks into Gaza — the best way to get food to starving people there — so Jordan is delivering some with air drops,” Van Hollen wrote on X.

“The Jordanians said Senator Jeff Merkley and I could join one of those flights to see the devastation, but Israel denied authorisation for our scheduled flight.”

He added that Israel had also denied the duo’s entry into Gaza to “see first-hand the destruction” of Gaza.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran’s resilience
05 Jul, 2026

Iran’s resilience

THE funeral ceremonies for Iran’s assassinated supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members, which...
The annual test
05 Jul, 2026

The annual test

PAKISTAN enters another monsoon season with little room for complacency. Last year’s rains claimed more than 1,000...
Dangerous syringes
05 Jul, 2026

Dangerous syringes

INNOCENCE stands overwhelmed by another health emergency. The HIV crisis, beyond surging statistics — over 350,000...
Agri-tax failure
Updated 04 Jul, 2026

Agri-tax failure

THE first year of Pakistan’s unified agriculture income tax regime has produced an outcome that should surprise no...
Deadly roads
04 Jul, 2026

Deadly roads

THE horrific bus crash at the Balochistan-KP border on Friday should prompt greater scrutiny of road safety ...
Terrorism numbers
04 Jul, 2026

Terrorism numbers

AS Pakistan continues to grapple with the menace of militancy, the number of terrorist attacks present a mixed...