By Riches Soberekon
Volunteers from Resala charity organization are collecting humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza as an aid convoy prepares to head to Rafah, which is located on Egypt’s eastern border with the Gaza Strip.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Saturday that medical supplies, sufficient to meet the needs of 300,000 people in the Gaza Strip, have been transported to an Egyptian airport near the Palestinian enclave. However, the delivery is pending humanitarian access.
The WHO stated that once humanitarian access is established through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, located in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, the equipment can be transported.
A plane carrying 78 cubic meters of equipment from the UN agency’s logistics center in Dubai has landed at Egypt’s El-Arich airport, according to the WHO’s statement.
Egypt has declared that its side of the Rafah crossing, which connects Sinai with the Gaza Strip, remains open. However, due to Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border, traffic has been halted for several days.
To clarify, one Egyptian security source, speaking anonymously, stated that reports of the crossing being sealed off were incorrect.
Egyptian security forces have been reinforcing security measures on their side of the border, including the movement of concrete barriers.
The Rafah crossing is the primary exit point for the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel. Since Hamas took control in 2007, Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on the enclave, regulating the movement of goods and people.
There is growing concern in Egypt about the potential displacement of Gaza residents due to Israel’s siege and bombardment of the territory, which was launched in response to a devastating incursion by Hamas militants.
Like other Arab states, Egypt has expressed its stance that Palestinians should remain on their lands as the conflict escalates. Furthermore, Egypt is actively working to ensure the delivery of aid into the Gaza Strip.
