Evangelical relief organization Samaritan’s Purse on Saturday airlifted over 100,000 pounds of relief supplies to Gaza in its new 767 cargo plane. The aid included food, blankets, and solar lights for civilians affected by two years of devastating conflict.
The flight marked the first official mission of its newly acquired aircraft, which carried more than 290,000 packets of ready-to-use supplemental food, along with thousands of solar lights and blankets intended for women and children in Gaza, Samaritan’s Purse said in a statement sent to The Christian Post.
“This plane is just a tool — a tool that God can use to help save lives,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse. “This 767 is carrying 105,000 pounds of food, blankets and solar lights for Gaza. Most of Gaza is absolutely devastated — this war has affected the lives of millions of people. We want them to know that God hasn’t forgotten them. We are also offering to send one of our emergency field hospitals if needed.”
This year, Samaritan’s Purse partnered with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a recently formed aid group backed by the United States and Israel, to deliver supplies and deploy medical staff into the conflict zone. The organization transported large quantities of food using its aircraft, as the CP reported earlier.
These missions delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of high-calorie, peanut-based food pouches produced by MANA Nutrition in Georgia, which are designed to combat malnutrition.
Since the start of the war, Samaritan’s Purse has delivered more than 223 tons of supplemental food and distributed over 1 million food rations. Additionally, its medical teams have also treated more than 1,700 patients.
Distribution of the MANA calorie-dense packets has focused on women and children at designated aid sites, where the group has also set up First Aid stations staffed by medical teams. The larger response, which began in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, has involved aid operations for civilians on both sides of the conflict.
Edward Graham, chief operating officer of Samaritan’s Purse and son of Franklin Graham, said Gaza remains one of the most challenging environments for humanitarian response.
“I’m thankful for our staff who are willing to go and that their hearts are broken and pierced by the things that break the heart of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Saturday’s airlift is part of the group’s expanded logistics capacity, enabled by the addition of the 767 aircraft to its fleet. The plane joins the organization’s existing cargo aircraft, a 757 and a DC-8.
The DC-8 was purchased in 2015 from an Australian cargo carrier just before it was scheduled for dismantling, and was refurbished to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards. Less than a day after receiving FAA clearance in April 2016, the aircraft was deployed to Ecuador with an Emergency Field Hospital and medical staff following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Over 1,200 patients were treated in the immediate aftermath of that disaster.
Configured to carry up to 74,000 pounds of cargo and 32 passengers, the DC-8 has flown more than 200 missions to crisis-affected areas, including Haiti, Togo, Tanzania, Colombia, Israel and parts of the United States. In total, it has transported more than 8.7 million pounds of aid cargo since its deployment, according to Samaritan’s Purse.
In addition to its operations in Gaza, Samaritan’s Purse has undertaken construction projects in Israel. These include the building of two emergency medical stations, nine community centers equipped with bomb shelters, and an equine therapy center for children who have experienced trauma.
The organization is also conducting medical training across what it described as “strategic areas” in Israel. The efforts are meant to serve both Israeli and Palestinian civilians impacted by the ongoing conflict.
Samaritan’s Purse has used aviation to support its humanitarian work since 1975.
