The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) has dispatched on Thursday, in cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOU), a medical and food aid convoy to Gaza to provide support for the strip after May’s deadly Israeli bombing campaign.

The aid convoy sent to the strip includes 60 tonnes of medical equipment, foodstuff, and COVID-19 preventive equipment.

The convoy comes under efforts by the ERC, in coordination with their Palestinian counterparts and regional and international partners, to deliver donated aid to affected citizens and help in mitigating the impact on Palestinian society.

The dispatching of the convoy was attended by Egyptian Social Solidarity Minister Nevine El-Qabbaj, IOM’s Chief of Mission to Egypt Laurent De Boeck, Executive Director of the ERC Ramy El-Nazer, and representatives and ambassadors of Italy, Germany, France, Japan, Finland, and the European Union.

Last month, the Israeli bombing campaign of Gaza — deemed the most serious Israeli assault on the strip since 2014 — killed more than 250 Palestinians, injured 1,900, and destroyed 2,000 residential and commercial buildings, leaving thousands homeless.

The densely populated Gaza Strip is home to two million Palestinians, most of whom are refugees from the 1948 war.

On 21 May, Egypt mediated a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas along with other Palestinian factions.

Since then, Cairo has launched intensive diplomatic efforts to cement the ceasefire and lay the groundwork for the resumption of peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Egypt has sent tonnes of medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza to help Palestinians deal with the aftermath of Israel's deadly offensive on the strip.

Egypt also sent a massive convoy of bulldozers and cranes to Gaza in order to remove the rubble and debris from buildings destroyed by Israeli air strikes as part of the country's efforts in the reconstruction of the strip.

Egypt’s Rafah crossing remains open to allow stranded Palestinians and humanitarian cases to cross the border in both directions.