Canada will airdrop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip at the first opportunity,  a cabinet minister has said.

The update comes after Canadian international development minister Ahmed Hussen said politicians in Ottawa were exploring new options to deliver aid.

He said providing airdrops with like-minded nearby countries, such as Jordan, was on the table.

Mr Hussen said last week that the provision of aid is nowhere near what is needed, with a tedious inspection process slowing down supplies arriving by truck.

He made the comments following a trip to the Rafah border crossing, which is the only way in or out of the Gaza Strip since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

Canada has put 74 million dollars (£58.5 million) towards aid for the besieged territory since the start of the conflict, including 30 million dollars (£23.6 million) committed in January.