Israel-Hamas war: Aid trucks enter Gaza from Egypt as Rafah crossing opens

On the fifteenth day of the war between Israel and Hamas, twenty trucks carrying humanitarian aid were finally allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through the Egyptian border at Rafah; However, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “the needs are much higher” in the enclave of more than 2 million people.

He also called for the “safe passage of additional aid convoys through the enclave.”

The Rafah border crossing was opened for a short period on Saturday morning to allow 20 aid trucks from Egypt into Gaza. While many have welcomed the brief reopening, rights groups have argued that much more help is needed.

Among them was Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, who said in a social media post that to “meet the urgent health needs of all people in Gaza,” the WHO is calling for “the safe passage of additional aid convoys ”. in the enclave; protection of all humanitarian workers; and sustainable healthcare access.”

“In the darkest hours, war casts its shadow, but it is in the pursuit of peace that we ignite the light of hope, healing and a better future,” his message added.

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called it an “important first step that will alleviate the suffering of innocent people.”

Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the delivery followed “days of deep and intense negotiations”, adding that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “has reached catastrophic levels”.

Meanwhile, the United States also welcomed the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, the first since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.

“We thank our partners in Egypt and Israel and the United Nations for facilitating the safe passage of these shipments through the Rafah crossing,” the US State Department said in a statement on Saturday.

“With this convoy, the international community begins to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which leaves Gaza residents without access to adequate food, water, medical care and safe shelter,” it added.

The trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza carried only food, water and medical supplies, but no fuel, CNN reported.

Thirteen trucks carried medicines and medical supplies; five were loaded with food; and two were carrying water, Egyptian authorities said at the Rafah border crossing.

A Palestinian spokesman for the border crossing claimed on Saturday that relief supplies loaded onto trucks did not contain “enough” supplies for even a single school in Gaza; However, CNN has not verified this claim.

“Despite supplies in hospitals and schools in Gaza being dangerously low, no fuel was delivered,” Wael Abu Mohsen, head of communications for the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, told Saudi state media Al Hadath TV in an interview on Saturday. . reported by CNN.

Meanwhile, IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press conference that food, water and medical aid will enter the southern part of Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, while fuel is still not allowed into Gaza.

“Fuel will not enter Gaza,” Hagari said.

Hagari added that the IDF “will continue its attacks on Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza.”

This dire situation in Gaza was underlined by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in a statement on Thursday, which said that more than 60 percent of primary care facilities are currently closed and that Gaza’s hospitals are on the brink of collapse. This crisis is mainly due to severe shortages of power, medicine, medical equipment and specialized personnel, CNN reported.

The ongoing Israeli airstrikes have left seven hospitals and 21 primary health care centers in Gaza ‘out of service’. In addition, 64 medical staff have been killed in the ongoing conflict, CNN quoted a spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry as saying on Friday.

The aid came as world leaders gathered at the Cairo Peace Summit in Egypt, initiated by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The summit aims to de-escalate the situation in Gaza and ensure the protection of civilians in the region. Representatives from 34 countries, including those from the Middle East, Africa and Europe, as well as the United Nations, are participating. It is notable that Israel did not attend the summit.

President Sisi emphasized that once aid is delivered to Gaza, the primary focus should be on establishing a ceasefire and ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Negotiations should then resume on a peace process leading to a “two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel on the basis of international legitimacy,” Sisi added.

Conditions in Gaza are deteriorating by the hour, amid fears of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and multiple rights groups are warning of the deadly consequences of ongoing shortages in the Gaza Strip and calling for essential supplies to be allowed through the border crossing at Rafah.

At least 4,385 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack in Israel, which killed more than 1,400 people.