30th convoy aid trucks bound for the Gaza Strip. Photo courtesy: Al-Ahram.
The convoy, part of the Zad El-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza initiative launched on 27 July, crossed from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem terminal southeast of Gaza.
Media reports said the shipment included fully equipped operating rooms entering Gaza for the first time, along with advanced medical devices and a wider range of medicines than in previous convoys. A truck from the World Health Organization (WHO) carried essential drugs and equipment.
The advanced equipment will be delivered to Palestinian hospitals and health centres. Field hospitals may also be set up to handle the aid, which came from Egyptian, international, and non-governmental organizations, Al-Qahera News reported.
In total, the convoy comprises 30 trucks. They carry not only medical supplies but also essential food items, such as dry goods, oil, flour, baby formula, and vehicles for tent shelters, as well as cooking utensils provided by the World Central Kitchen (WCK), in an effort to meet the urgent needs of Palestinians trapped under siege.
The WCK stated that as of mid-August, it has served over 145 million meals in Gaza since the war began in October 2023. Current daily meal production is around 200,000, but cooking has been sharply reduced this year as food supplies become increasingly scarce.
Strangled lifeline
Aid deliveries remain severely restricted, with only small amounts of relief allowed into the famine-hit strip despite the widespread destruction.
At the Karm Abu Salem crossing, Israeli inspections continue to delay or block aid, leaving more than 5,000 trucks stranded on the Egyptian side of Rafah, with some food spoiling while waiting.
Moreover, fuel trucks — vital for hospitals, desalination plants, ambulances, and generators — are also largely barred. Only three fuel trucks have been allowed in every 10 days, with the rest turned back after lengthy inspections, according to media reports.
On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said: “Daily, civilians continue to be killed and injured by military forces or due to violence erupting among desperate crowds while trying to access aid, including in the militarised zone near checkpoints and at non-humanitarian distribution sites.”
Since 20 July, when limited food shipments through Gaza’s crossings resumed, less than 40 percent of the 2,000 metric tonnes of food required each day to meet basic humanitarian needs has been allowed in, OCHA said.
On Tuesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that conditions “continue to deteriorate,” noting that families without able-bodied members to collect aid face the highest risks.
As of Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 185 people died of malnutrition in August alone, bringing the total number of starvation-related deaths since the Israeli genocidal war began in October 2023 to 361, including 130 children.
The ministry warned that famine in Gaza is worsening rapidly, with 43,000 children under five severely malnourished, 67 percent of pregnant women suffering from anaemia, and over 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women facing malnutrition.
The UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) forecasts conditions will deteriorate further by the end of September.
Since the start of the war, Egypt has provided over 70 percent of all aid reaching Gaza.
Since 27 July, it has dispatched 29 convoys, conducted 168 airdrops, and delivered over 45,125 truckloads, while consistently condemning Israel's “war of starvation” against Palestinians.
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