A plane carrying medical aid for Gaza has taken off from Jordan, the state relief fund agency Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organization said Thursday. 

The organization’s Secretary General Dr. Hussein Al-Shibli said the aid includes medicine and medical supplies for hospitals and health agencies operating in the Palestinian territory.

The aid was en route after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “complete seige” of Gaza, cutting off electricity, food, fuel and water in the territory. On Thursday, Israel’s Energy Minister said there would be no humanitiarian break in the blockade until all hostages taken by Hamas are freed.

Hamas is holding as many as 150 people hostage in locations across Gaza, according to the Israeli ambassador to the United States. Hamas has threatened to execute a hostage every time an Israeli airstrike hits Gazans in their homes.

The medical aid headed for Gaza will first arrive in Egypt and then be delivered to medical authorities in the territory through the Rafah border crossing—Gaza’s only border crossing with Egypt—according to the relief agency. 

On Tuesday, Palestinian officials in Gaza said it the Rafah crossing been closed due to Israeli airstrikes. Its status was unclear as of Thursday morning.

Before heading on a diplomatic trip to Israel and then Jordan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday was asked about efforts to secure a safe passage to get civilians out of Gaza. Blinken responded, “We’re talking to Israel about that. We’re talking to Egypt about that. It’s an ongoing conversation. I can’t get into the details.”

The conflict began Saturday when Hamas undertook a massive surprise attack on Israel. As of Thursday morning, the death toll from stood at 2,600, including 1,300 Israelis and 1,385 Palestinians.

PHOTO: Strike on Gaza, per the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)

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