Providing supplies to the people in the Gaza Strip is becoming increasingly difficult. A number of trucks are waiting at the border crossing in Egypt. Why is no humanitarian aid arriving in the coastal enclave?
A number of aid transports are queuing in front of the Egyptian border crossing with the Gaza Strip. Even on the tenth day after the Hamas massacre in Israel and the start of Israeli counterattacks in the coastal enclave, Rafah remains closed. According to Egyptian media reports, around 150 relief trucks and ambulances drove to the border crossing on Tuesday night under strict security precautions.
This raised hopes locally that help could soon flow to the Gaza Strip. As a sign of celebration, truck drivers honked their horns as they drove to the border crossing, as videos published in Egyptian media show. On some trucks it is written: “For our people in Palestine.” Eyewitnesses reported a large presence of security forces along the border. According to the Egyptian Red Crescent, around 2,000 tons of relief supplies are ready for delivery, including blankets, medicine and clothing. Many helpers are currently waiting to be deployed on the Egyptian side of the border crossing. But that’s a long time coming.
3000 tons of goods are ready
Repairs are currently being carried out at the border crossing, Egyptian media reported, citing the responsible governor of North Sinai, Mohammed Abdel Fadil Shusha. He therefore hopes that the aid deliveries will arrive in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday or Wednesday. According to him, around 3,000 tons of goods are available. It was initially unclear on which side of the border and what exactly was being repaired. Eyewitnesses had previously reported that an access road on the Palestinian side was damaged in Israeli airstrikes.
Ready humanitarian aid deliveries for the population in the Gaza Strip can currently only be brought across the Egyptian border. Observers assume that, given its ailing economy, Egypt is worried that large numbers of Palestinian refugees could come into the country if the border were opened. Cairo also fears that Hamas terrorists could be among the refugees. Hamas is close to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Egypt.
Tunnel near Rafah was used for arms smuggling
An Israeli army spokeswoman on Tuesday was unable to confirm or deny reports of new air strikes by Israel near the Rafah border crossing in the south of the Palestinian territory. Last week, the army said it had attacked an underground tunnel near Rafah that was used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip.
Terrorists from Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, also destroyed the Erez border crossing, which was used for passenger traffic, on October 7th during the major attack on Israel. After the atrocities against its population, Israel imposed a complete closure of the narrow coastal strip.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the USA and Israel want to jointly develop a strategy for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and ensure that the aid does not fall into the hands of Hamas. It’s about “reaching civilians in Gaza and them alone,” Blinken said at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday evening. According to reports, Egypt and Israel have not yet been able to agree on how the trucks carrying the aid supplies will be checked. Israel wants to rule out the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip.
Flee – or stay?
“It is important that the people remain steadfast and present on their land, and we will do our utmost to provide assistance,” emphasized Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, also wants the population in the Gaza Strip to remain in place. The group, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and USA, had called on people not to heed Israeli calls to evacuate from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.
According to media reports, Israel had not yet agreed to import humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip because it wanted to maintain pressure on Hamas to release around 200 hostages.
Meanwhile, the situation in the narrow coastal strip is becoming increasingly dramatic. The Palestinian relief agency UNRWA has warned that its supplies are running out due to a lack of aid deliveries over the past ten days. “That’s why it’s absolutely important to bring supplies to Gaza now,” said spokeswoman Juliette Touma. “The clock is ticking.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
