Gaza: Aid from Egypt restarts via Kerem Shalom crossing
May 26, 2024
Vital aid from Egypt again began entering the Gaza Strip on Sunday through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, while the Rafah border crossing remains closed.
The change of crossing comes after a deal between the Egyptian and US presidents to circumvent Cairo's refusal to coordinate aid through Rafah — some 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from Kerem Shalom — while Israeli troops control the Palestinian side amid their offensive in the enclave.
All aid from Egypt is inspected by Israeli authorities and distributed by the United Nations.
The deliveries from Egypt are the first in nearly three weeks, according to the state-linked Al Qahera News TV outlet.
How is aid being delivered?
A total of 200 trucks moved from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing to the Kerem Shalom crossing, according to the broadcaster.
It said four fuel trucks had already crossed into the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave on their way to hospitals.
The rest of the 200 trucks were "expected to cross into Gaza today," Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in al-Arish, told AFP news agency on Sunday.
But it is, however, unclear whether humanitarian groups will be able to access the aid as fighting continues in the area amid an Israeli offensive on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The use of the crossing was agreed in a call between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday, the White House has said.
Egypt will hand over humanitarian aid and fuel to the United Nations at the Kerem Shalom crossing on a temporary basis until a legal mechanism is found to reopen the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, an Egyptian presidency statement said.
Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing is Gaza's main cargo terminal, but has been rendered largely inaccessible amid fighting linked to Israel's offensive.
Dire humanitarian situation
The war in Gaza was triggered by the October 7 attacks by the enclave's rulers, the militant Islamist Hamas, on southern Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and some 250 hostages were seized.
The group, classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the EU, the US and other governments, is still holding some 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others.
Most of the other captives were released during a cease-fire late last year.
More than 35,980 Palestinians have died in Israel's retaliatory offensive, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, and many residents of the enclave are reliant on humanitarian aid from outside amid widespread hunger and even famine in some parts.
tj/lo (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)