Photo courtesy of Egypt's Red Crescent
The convoy headed toward Gaza as part of the ERC’s role as Egypt’s national body coordinating humanitarian assistance to the territory amid the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis.
The shipment included fuel needed for operating hospitals and other essential facilities in the strip, as well as shelter and basic supplies for displaced families, the ERC said.
The organization stated that it has maintained a continuous presence at the border since the outbreak of the war, stressing that the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side has remained open.
The ERC has also remained on high alert across all logistics centres to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and relief assistance into Gaza.
According to the organization, total aid delivered to Gaza since the start of the crisis has exceeded 980,000 tons, supported by over 65,000 volunteers.
Meanwhile, Israeli naval forces boarded at least one Gaza-bound aid vessel and intercepted parts of a humanitarian flotilla in the eastern Mediterranean on Monday, organizers said, as activists attempted to challenge Israel’s long-standing blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The “Global Sumud Flotilla,” a civilian-led convoy carrying activists, medics, journalists, and humanitarian volunteers from dozens of countries, said Israeli forces approached the vessels shortly after dawn while the boats were sailing toward Gaza from southern Turkey.
Live footage broadcast by organizers showed military ships surrounding several civilian vessels before communications were disrupted.
“Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight,” the flotilla said in a statement posted on X, adding that contact had been lost with another vessel during the operation.
Organizers described the mission as a “legal, non-violent humanitarian effort” aimed at drawing attention to worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
The latest attempt marked the third effort this year by the Global Sumud Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea. More than 50 boats carrying nearly 500 activists from around 45 countries left the Turkish resort city of Marmaris on Thursday despite expectations of Israeli interception.
The mission followed a previous flotilla launched from Spain in April that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece. More than 100 activists were taken to Crete, while two others were detained in Israel, triggering diplomatic criticism from several countries and renewed accusations of Israel's violation of international maritime law.
Organizers say the flotilla seeks to break the Israeli naval blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007 and deliver symbolic humanitarian assistance to the territory, where aid agencies warn that lack of food, displacement, and infrastructure collapse have deepened after more than two years of war.
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