Aid deliveries to Gaza were halted as Israel began its military campaign near the border with Egypt on Friday. The resumption of fighting caused delays in the delivery process, leaving truck drivers stranded and unable to enter the crossing for inspection. Egyptian security sources and a Red Crescent official confirmed that aid and fuel trucks stopped entering Gaza from Egypt.
UN officials expressed concern over the resumption of fighting, describing it as “catastrophic” and casting doubt on the continuation of aid delivery. The spokesperson for the Rafah border crossing confirmed that trucks carrying much-needed aid, fuel, and cooking gas from Egypt had stopped entering Gaza due to the Israeli bombardment.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza declared a “extremely catastrophic” humanitarian crisis, stating that the health sector in Gaza was “out of service.” The resumption of Israeli air attacks has already resulted in the deaths of over 100 people and left hundreds wounded.
During a temporary truce, aid was able to enter Gaza through flights and convoy trucks from Egypt. However, the system in place caused delays and bottlenecks, resulting in shortages of food, medicines, and water for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
The UN has lobbied for Israel to open a crossing near Rafah to allow more aid into Gaza, but Israel has so far refused, citing concerns that the aid could be used by Hamas.
Before the war, up to 500 aid trucks daily entered Gaza through Egypt, but during the truce, only about 200 trucks were allowed in daily. The drivers faced delays and inspections supervised by Israeli security personnel, causing further challenges in delivering the needed supplies.
With the resumption of fighting, the aid delivery process is once again in jeopardy, leaving the already vulnerable population in Gaza facing even more dire conditions.