Israel Obstructs the Passage of Humanitarian Aid Through Rafah

For several days, hundreds of trucks have remained stuck on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing without being able to deliver humanitarian aid.

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They hope to enter the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians who have been deprived of fuel, food, water, and medical supplies for nearly three weeks under Israeli blockades and bombings.

Although the number of aid-laden trucks entering Gaza has increased from 20 to 60 trucks in recent days, the amount still falls short of the 100 truckloads of goods needed daily, according to Egyptian authorities and the United Nations (UN).

Since the first convoy of humanitarian aid through Rafah on Oct. 21, two weeks after the broke out of the Israel-Hamas conflict, about 250 trucks carrying tons of supplies have entered the Palestinian territory.

On Saturday, Egypt accused Israel of the delayed delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza by "creating hurdles" for convoys and imposing strict and slow-paced inspection measures.

Israel requires the aid convoys to be inspected first at the Israeli Nitzana Border Crossing with Egypt and then drive nearly 100 km to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing before entering Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

"I have been waiting here with dozens of drivers, some of us carrying medicines, others carrying food supplies. This aid is a donation from Egypt to the people of Gaza," said Ahmed Ragab, an Egyptian truck driver in his 50s.

"We moved to Rafah immediately after the aid was prepared. Some of us were able to cross with their truck to the Palestinian side. I hope I will soon deliver this aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip who suffer from a great scarcity of all needs."

Ragab said the situation at the Egyptian side of the crossing is also dangerous as truck drivers can hear Israeli attacks, noting the Palestinian side of the crossing has been targeted several times.

"However, these attacks will not prevent us from being with the besieged people of Gaza, who are suffering from death, hunger, and fear these days," Ragab said, adding that the living conditions for the truck driver and aid workers are also harsh.

"We spend the night in our trucks, and now it's getting cold, but this is too slight a suffering compared with that of thousands of civilians, children, and women in the Gaza Strip who are exposed to continuous Israeli bombing, with dozens of them dying every day," he said.

"I am m proud to be part of the covey. We are always ready to deliver aid to our brothers in Palestine. This is the least I could do for the defenseless people of Gaza. We will not hesitate to send more aid to them," said Shihata Saber, a truck driver.

Several countries have already sent planes carrying relief aid, including Algeria, Kuwait, Iraq, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, France, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Venezuela as well as the United Nations agencies.