Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have received 2,812 tons of medical aid, 11,427 tons of food items, 8,583 tons of water, and 2,418 tons of other relief materials, Rashwan explained.

They also received 1,048 tons of fuel, he added.

This aid was delivered in 2,263 truckloads that crossed through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Prior to the Wednesday truce deal, Israel's complete blockade on water, food, and fuel to the Gaza Strip since the start of its war on the strip on 7 October has left 2.4 million Palestinians on the verge of Starvation.

A man carries away bags of humanitarian aid in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, 26 November, 2023. AFP

According to the terms of the four-day truce deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday, 200 humanitarian aid trucks in addition to 130,000 liters of fuel are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip every day.

On Tuesday, Rashwan noted that Egypt has received 566 injured Palestinians from Gaza for treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

A Palestinian patient from the Gaza Strip arrives in an ambulance at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, 26 November, 2023. AFP

He also highlighted that 8,691 foreign and dual nationals, 1,256 Egyptians, had been evacuated from Gaza through Egypt. Meanwhile, 421 Palestinians stuck in Egypt have returned to Gaza.

The head of SIS affirmed Egypt is continuing its efforts to accelerate the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza, to contribute to alleviating the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians.

Rashwan also said that the four-day humanitarian truce had progressed without obstruction, thanks to the intense mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

The initial truce, which was set to expire on Monday, was extended by two days on Monday evening.

The extension will involve the release of 10 captives held in Gaza in exchange for 30 Palestinians from Israeli prisons each day.

The extension will also allow more medical, food, and fuel aid into the strip, alongside a ceasefire and ban on Israeli flights over the Gaza Strip.

WHO warnings 
 

Many international and humanitarian aid organizations have argued that a short-term truce will not be enough to begin to deal with the catastrophic impact of the Israeli war on the strip.

On Monday, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the temporary humanitarian truce in Gaza has brought some relief, and facilitated the release of captives.

Tedros stressed that if the military operations resume, so will the casualties, suffering, drastic supply shortages, and despair.

"The only response is sustained ceasefire. Now. The only lasting solution is peace," the WHO chief wrote on X.

Meanwhile, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said on Tuesday that more people could die from diseases than from strikes if the health system is not repaired in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

During a UN briefing in Geneva, Harris repeated concerns about an increase in the outbreaks of infectious diseases epidemics, especially those related to diarrhea.

"Eventually we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment if we are not able to put back (together) this health system," she said.

A dire situation
 

The seven-week Israeli airstrikes and bombardment of Gaza have killed more than 15,000 and wounded more than 50,000 civilians - most of them women and children.

The Israeli destruction of more than 50 percent of all homes in the strip has left more than 1.8 million Palestinians internally displaced without shelter.

Israeli targeting of hospitals and a ban on fuel deliveries necessary to generate electricity have left the health sector in the strip in tatters.