Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Red Crescent.
The convoy, which coincided with 1,000 days of Egypt’s ongoing response to the Gaza crisis, carried several trucks toward the enclave as part of the ERC’s role as the national mechanism coordinating humanitarian aid deliveries to Palestinians.
The ERC said the shipment included comprehensive humanitarian assistance, including food supplies, flour, medical and relief materials, therapeutic medicines, and petroleum products needed to operate hospitals and vital facilities in the Strip.
The organization has maintained a presence at the border since the start of the crisis, stressing that the Rafah crossing has never been closed from the Egyptian side.
It added that its logistics centres remain on full alert to facilitate aid delivery, with total humanitarian and relief assistance sent to Gaza exceeding one million tonnes through the efforts of more than 65,000 ERC volunteers.
The latest convoy comes amid an intensified Egyptian Red Crescent aid push into Gaza. Over the course of four days in the last week, the ERC dispatched 14,586 tonnes of assistance, including nearly 5,000 tonnes in its latest convoy before the 1,000-day mark.
The humanitarian response is unfolding alongside a growing dispute over the future of aid governance in Gaza.
On Saturday, the US-backed Board of Peace had declared there was “no place” for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in what it called the “new Gaza,” prompting Palestinian officials, the Arab League, and the UN to reject the move as an attempt to undermine the internationally mandated agency and the rights of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry described UNRWA as an indispensable lifeline for Palestinian refugees, while the Arab League said the agency’s mandate could only be amended or terminated by the UN General Assembly.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also defended UNRWA’s role, saying Palestinian refugees have relied on the agency for essential services for generations.
UNRWA was established in December 1949 and provides relief, education, healthcare, and social services to around 5.9 million registered Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, including more than 1.5 million people living in 58 recognized refugee camps.
The dispute has added to concerns over post-war governance and aid delivery in Gaza.
An earlier draft framework for the Board of Peace would grant the body broad powers, including immunity provisions and access to public property in Gaza, raising concerns among legal experts over accountability and oversight.
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