On the 15th day of the Israel-Hamas conflict, a convoy of twenty trucks, operated by the Egyptian Red Crescent and tasked with delivering aid from various UN agencies, successfully crossed the Rafah crossing after arriving at the Egyptian terminal.
This development comes on the heels of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, during which an agreement was announced to permit aid delivery through Egypt.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who personally visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Friday to oversee preparations, expressed his concerns about the border closure preventing the supply of essential aid and life-saving medicines to the people in Gaza.
Initially, Israel had opposed the entry of aid, citing concerns that it might reach Hamas fighters. However, there has been a change in stance following the release of two American hostages by Hamas.
In response to the aid delivery, Hamas’ media office issued a statement on Saturday, revealing that the convoy carried “medicine, medical supplies, and a limited amount of food supplies (canned goods).”
Meanwhile, some Palestinians in the West Bank view the aid delivery as a public relations gesture on the part of the international community, intended to showcase solidarity with Gaza’s civilians. However, they argue that the quantities provided are far from sufficient to address the pressing humanitarian needs on the ground.
