RAFAH: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday termed the aid trucks awaiting entry from Egypt ‘s Rafah border into Gaza as a lifeline for the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Guterres made this statement during his visit to the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing into Gaza to oversee preparations for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Cargo planes and trucks have been transporting humanitarian aid to Rafah for several days, but as of now, none has reached Gaza, which has endured almost two weeks of intense Israeli bombardment since October 7.
Israel’s actions, which included cutting off water, electricity, fuel, and food supplies to the 2.4 million people in the long-blockaded territory, have led to severe shortages. However, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths announced that the first aid delivery through Rafah would occur “in the next day or so.”
Guterres stressed the urgency of getting the aid trucks moving and ensuring a sustained effort, rather than just one convoy, to provide support to the people of Gaza. He expressed the United Nations’ active engagement with all parties involved, including Egypt, Israel, and the United States, to expedite the movement of the aid trucks.
It’s worth noting that Rafah is the only crossing into the blockaded Palestinian territory not under Israeli control, as Israel agreed to allow aid in following a request from its ally, Washington.
