Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid wait to cross from the Egyptian side of Rafah en rounte to the Kerem Shalom crossing into the Gaza Strip. AFP
The move is part of Cairo’s plan to ensure the safe and steady flow of aid into Gaza, the channel said, adding that the network currently includes seven main logistics hubs.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in place since 10 October, has allowed a limited increase in humanitarian supplies entering the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations (UN) warned in August that famine had taken hold.
Egypt continues to send daily aid convoys through the Rafah, Karm Abu Salem, and Al-Ouja crossings.
Despite some improvement in access since the ceasefire, aid agencies say deliveries remain far below what is needed to address Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe.
They point to ongoing Israeli restrictions, including lengthy customs checks, limits on the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and curbs on the entry of supplies and international staff for key agencies such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA).
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged Israel to reopen the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, which Israeli forces seized in May 2024, to allow more aid to enter Gaza.
Aid transfers slowed to a trickle after Israel’s takeover, leaving large quantities of supplies stranded at the border.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has caused the near-total collapse of the strip's services and infrastructure, leaving the entire population dependent on external aid.
Most homes in the enclave have been damaged or destroyed, while hospitals continue to struggle under severe shortages.
With 1.9 million people displaced and winter approaching, agencies warn of urgent shortages of shelter materials, often restricted by Israel, as well as food, water, medicine and fuel.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told Ahram Online that a quarter of Gaza’s population is already in famine, while the rest faces “despair and hunger.”
In August, the UN formally declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East.
Egypt’s main relief coordinator, the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), says it remains fully mobilized across its logistics hubs, supported by more than 35,000 volunteers nationwide.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli genocide in October 2023, Egypt has delivered over half a million tonnes of aid to Gaza, around 70 percent of total international assistance, according to official figures.
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