The Egyptian Red Crescent workers checking on the trucks before passing the Rafah border crossing. Photo courtesy of ERC.
The convoy, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), is part of the Zad Al-Izza: From Egypt to Gaza initiative, which Egypt launched on 27 July to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
It includes 4,200 tons of food parcels and flour, around 2,600 tons of essential medical and relief supplies, and 1,300 tons of fuel.
The latest dispatch comes amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to the strip in violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that was reached on 9 October.
Since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023, Egypt, in collaboration with the UN and its international partners, has spearheaded efforts to deliver aid, gathered domestically and globally, to Gaza in the face of an Israeli blockade on the strip.
Egypt has delivered over 500,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza since October 2023 via the Rafah and Karm Abu Salem crossings, in an effort coordinated by the ERC through 35,000 volunteers in tens of logistics hubs.
According to the UN, more than one million Gazans have received food assistance since the start of the ceasefire through convoys coordinated by the ERC, World Food Programme (WFP), and the UNRWA.
However, the UN warned that the humanitarian situation in the strip remains dire due to the magnitude of destruction and the logistical hurdles impeding aid delivery.
A recent UN report said over 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.2 million population continues to face acute food insecurity, with many surviving on less than one meal per day.
The WFP noted that warehouses, bakeries, and markets across northern and central Gaza remain either destroyed or inaccessible, as the absence of fuel has severely limited the operation of bakeries, water pumps, and hospital generators.
Infrastructure damage has further worsened the crisis. More than 60 percent of residential buildings have been destroyed or are uninhabitable, leaving hundreds of thousands of families without permanent shelter.
Makeshift tents and overcrowded UN facilities now house an estimated 1.8 million displaced people, putting immense pressure on the already limited water, sanitation, and healthcare services.
Health facilities, already crippled by months of bombardment, are functioning at minimal capacity. Only 11 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operating, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These hospitals are struggling to meet the growing demand for emergency care, maternity services, and treatment of chronic diseases.
The absence of medicines, anaesthesia, and sterilization equipment puts thousands of patients, including children and the elderly, at serious risk.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported a rise in infectious diseases such as respiratory infections and diarrhoea, especially among children in overcrowded shelters.
The lack of clean water and sanitation has increased the risk of epidemics, prompting international health agencies to urge the immediate repair of Gaza’s desalination plants and wastewater systems.
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