A giant military cargo plane lands on the tarmac of a Royal Jordanian Air Force base in the morning sunlight. Two maintenance engineers opened a compartment in the fuselage and disappeared behind a metal hood protecting a complex collection of cables.
The two men, who graduated together from a military academy five years ago, chatted amicably as they carried out final checks before the flight. Two Jordanian cargo planes will take off to carry out aid drops in Gaza around noon followed by four other planes from Germany, Egypt and the United States.
They were piloting a US C-130 Hercules turboprop aircraft, a model often used to airdrop troops, equipment or aid to hard-to-reach locations. The two men took one last look into the belly of the plane, its loading ramp firmly planted on the runway.
Sixteen large pallets containing essential aid were in the plane’s cargo hold ready to depart. A series of military vehicles arrived on the runway and several special forces personnel in red berets came out ready to inspect the parachutes attached to today’s cargo.
There is a continuous flow of personnel. As one team completes its check, the other team appears ready to perform another control. Everyone looked alert, occasionally making light jokes before returning to work.
This was a personal mission for the Jordanian officers who felt their identity was closely tied to that of their Palestinian neighbors and wanted to ensure the mission went off without a hitch. “Palestinians in the Gaza Strip do not deserve what is happening to them,” said MA, a friendly 24-year-old with a neat moustache, who could only reveal his initials because of security protocols.
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“Palestine is our brother,” continued MA, looking down. Watching the news and seeing people in Gaza trying to find enough food and surviving constant bombing with children and families being killed en masse, he felt, “His heart was broken into a million pieces.”
This large aircraft provided shade from the morning sun for members like MA, arriving early due to the private nature of the mission. MA’s colleagues began to carefully explain their roles, which, according to him, included jacking up the plane for maintenance and checking all the wheels.
MA prefers to keep things in layman’s terms. Engineers keep everything running from the smallest bolt to the massive wing. While patting the fuselage, he said his work was done for now.
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In the waiting room, a half-dozen special forces personnel passed by a large pallet, safely wrapped in plastic tarpaulin with cardboard boxes containing packets of dry food and formula peeking out inside.
A serious-looking special forces officer pulled the parachute straps to each pallet. Special forces are responsible for parachutes. So he took the time to pull every string as a superior colleague looked fierce over his shoulder.
Parachutes are essential for any aid delivery as these heavy pallets fall from heights making them deadly if there is nothing to slow them down. You see, in early March five people died and several others were injured in the Shati refugee camp after an airdrop parachute failed to deploy.
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When he reached the 16th crate, he patted the final chute in approval. “This is from England, great,” then got off the plane and jumped into the transport vehicle.
Finally, it was time for the hatches to close, the loading ramps to be raised, and the engines to be started to ensure they were ready for the mission. The finished ground crew donned their sunglasses and retreated to the hangar as giant propellers whipped up sand. All was clear and the Hercules rolled down the runway, with the skyline of Amman soon disappearing through the round windows.
The hilly outskirts of the city, dotted with cream-colored apartment blocks and green-walled gardens, disappear beneath a thin blanket of low-lying clouds. The din of the engines drowned out other noises, and the three cargo officers securing the cargo had to communicate with the pilots through large headphones.
Everyone is focused. Two personnel remained staring out the window as northern Israel appeared behind broken clouds. The air delivery was coordinated with Israel, which had to approve the planes crossing its airspace. The plane flew over Tel Aviv and the blue Mediterranean Sea before making a sharp turn, parallel to the coast as it headed towards the Gaza Strip. (Aljazeera/Z-2)
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