An aid truck returns after unloading humanitarian aid at Egypt s Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on December 4, 2023. AFP
Since the start of the Israeli war and blockade on Gaza on 7 October, Egypt has delivered 11,200 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, including water, food, medicines, medical equipment, mattresses, and tents, according to Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj.
Egypt has also received 239 aid planes from various countries at El-Arish Airport in North Sinai and delivered them to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
Led by the ERC and the Egyptian Food Bank, dozens of civil society organizations in Egypt have been contributing to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza since the start of the war.
More than 50 percent of the 2.4 million residents in Gaza are facing hunger and starvation conditions as Israel continues an all-out blockade on the strip since the war began, allowing in only a trickle of the aid needed by the population, according to UN estimates.
Moreover, more than 75 percent of the population has been internally displaced as Israeli airstrikes and bombardments destroyed 61 percent of the residential buildings across the strip.
Egypt has repeatedly called on Israel to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for uninterrupted entry of humanitarian aid to the strip.
On Monday, the UNRWA said 1.3 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in 154 of its facilities across the strip.
Egypt is scheduled to host a conference in mid-December, with the participation of all Red Crescent and Red Cross societies worldwide.
The conference aims to bolster humanitarian efforts made during the current war in Gaza.
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