On Saturday, October 21st, the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid began to reach Gaza via the Rafah border crossing after Israel declared a complete blockade on Gaza, cutting off essential supplies such as water, food, and fuel.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt into war-torn and besieged Gaza started passing through the Rafah border crossing Saturday, a security source and an Egyptian Red Crescent official told AFP.
Israel has declared a total siege on Gaza and cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food, creating chronic shortages.
Rafah is the only route into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, which agreed to allow aid in from Egypt following a request from its top ally the United States.
Twenty trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering aid from various UN agencies, entered the Egyptian terminal, an AFP correspondent said.
An AFP journalist on the Palestinian side of the crossing saw 36 empty trailers entering into the terminal and heading towards the Egyptian side, where they were to be loaded with the incoming aid.
Four ambulances, two UN vehicles and two Red Cross vehicles were also seen heading into the terminal. Cargo planes and trucks have been bringing humanitarian aid to the Egyptian side of Rafah for days, but so far, none has been delivered to Gaza.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the crossing to oversee preparations for the aid delivery. “These trucks are not just trucks, they are a lifeline,” he said. “They are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza.”
Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP
