Twenty trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered Gaza on October 21 through the Rafah crossing, the only border crossing between the besieged coastal enclave and Egypt, after a two-week blockade.
The trucks were loaded with medical aid, food and water donated by the Egyptian Red Crescent and UN organizations including the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UNICEF. This batch of supplies, with no fuel, which is not allowed by Israel, will head to the southern part of Gaza.
“Today, 20 trucks were allowed to cross the border, all containing emergency supplies, three of which were WFP trucks, I’m happy to say, containing life-saving food on board. What we plan to do is to distribute that, but this cannot be the last convoy. We need to have sustained, safe access to be able to get our trucks across the border so we can feed the millions of people that are dependent on emergency food,” said Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP).
Hamas said only one convoy cannot change the humanitarian disastrous situation in Gaza and called for an all-day-long secure corridor for supply transportation.
Palestine’s health department on Saturday warned fuel storage in Gaza’s hospitals decreased to a dangerous level. The health department called on the international community to provide fuel and medical supplies for the injured.
The latest round of Hamas-Israel conflict started on Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli military targets and towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting extensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.
(Inputs from Reuters)