As the sun rose over the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, a fleet of trucks rolled east, carrying flour, legumes, bread, fuel and medicine bound for Gaza. This marks Egypt's first large-scale aid delivery since Israel temporarily closed key crossings over the weekend, state news agency MENA reports.
Under the Provision of Honor: From Egypt to Gaza initiative run by the Egyptian Red Crescent, the convoy crossed from Rafah to Kerem Shalom for Israeli inspection before entering Gaza. It follows a track record: Egypt has supplied over 550,000 tonnes of essentials — more than 70 percent of all aid delivered since the war began — even as roughly 5,000 trucks await clearance on the Egyptian side of Rafah.
Humanitarian alarm bells rang last week, when the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine in parts of Gaza. The IPC warned of catastrophic shortages of food, medicine and fuel — a situation it called a man-made disaster, prompting the Palestinian Foreign Ministry to call for decisive international action.
The stakes could not be higher. Gaza's health authorities report that 62,686 Palestinians have died and 157,951 injured during 22 months of conflict. Tragically, starvation and malnutrition have claimed 289 lives, including 115 children.
The conflict was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. As the cycle of violence and humanitarian need continues, today's aid delivery underscores the urgent push to stem Gaza's growing hunger crisis.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
