Spain denies viral claim it sent pork, moldy food in aid packages to Gaza Strip
Spain has air-dropped about 12 tons of aid via 24 parachutes, intended for approximately 11,000 people over the last two months.
Spain denied that the aid it delivered to the Gaza Strip contained pork products or food products unfit for consumption, after videos of Gazans making the claim went viral earlier in August.
One video shows a young boy opening a bag of aid, allegedly air-dropped into the Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah areas of Gaza, containing supplies covered in mould. He said that these packages are being sold in markets for over NIS 300.
“All packages sent have the expiration date in order, are hermetically sealed, and have all the necessary certificates. The delivery note for the rations purchased and distributed by AECID clearly states that they will expire on June 30, 2026,” the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.
“All 5,500 portions sent are halal menus and are fully certified as halal,” the ministry further clarified.
The packets had the JOMIPSA brand, an Alicante-based company that provides food rations and humanitarian aid kits.
A Palestinian man carries food boxes collected from aid packages dropped from an airplane, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, last week. (credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)
The food ration that appears in the video cannot be verified, as its batch number and origin are unknown. JOMIPSA has sold rations to other countries and organizations, the foreign ministry added.
JOMIPSA manufactures humanitarian aid products for numerous countries
The company JOMIPSA manufactures a wide range of humanitarian aid products: from ready-to-eat food packages, personal hygiene kits, and combat rations, to tailored kits for situations like hunger, injuries, and rescue operations.
Its products are intended for governments, international aid organizations, including NATO and the Red Cross, as well as humanitarian organizations such as UNRWA and UNICEF.
On its official website, the company states that it operates according to strict quality standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 22000), emphasizing its ability to provide customized food rations, including halal meals for Muslims.
However, these commitments are presented in general terms and do not directly address claims regarding spoiled aid or inappropriate contents.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez claimed in an interview in May that the hunger in the Strip had crossed a red line and described the delay in aid entry as “a serious violation of international law.”
Álvarez also stressed that failing to address hunger is an act of massacre and called on the international community to increase pressure to open the crossings and allow the continuous and safe transfer of food and medicine.
At the end of July and early August 2025, Spain, along with France, Germany, the UAE, and Jordan, conducted aerial humanitarian aid drops to Gaza. Spain alone dropped about 12 tons of aid via 24 parachutes, intended for approximately 11,000 people.
Maariv contributed to this report.
