The American company Maxar Technologies published images from space of the Rafah crossing that separates Egypt and Gaza, where more than 200 aid trucks are waiting on the Egyptian side to enter the besieged Strip, which is being subjected to heavy Israeli bombardment.
On the Egyptian side of the crossing, the pictures show a long line of aid trucks, Egyptian and foreign, waiting for the decision to enter Gaza.
A second convoy of trucks near Sheikh Zuweid in Egypt
A second convoy of trucks near Sheikh Zuweid in Egypt
On the Palestinian side, only the crossing facilities are visible, after repairing the roads that were subjected to Israeli bombing during the past two weeks.
The Rafah crossing was closed shortly after Israel began bombing Gaza, against the backdrop of a sudden Hamas attack on October 7, and the dispute over the conditions for delivering aid prevents it from being reopened.
The conditions include Israeli demands for a mechanism to inspect aid, while Western countries are pressing for the evacuation of foreign passport holders from the Strip.
The other side of the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip
The other side of the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip
Egypt said that it was not responsible for closing the crossing, and blamed it on Israel. It also stressed that it was against any mass displacement of Gaza residents to the Sinai Peninsula.
After visiting Israel on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced that an agreement had been reached for 20 aid trucks to cross through the Rafah crossing.
This will remain only a very small part of what is required. Before the current escalation, about 450 aid trucks were arriving in Gaza daily.
UN officials say at least 100 trucks a day are needed to cover urgent needs, and that any aid operation must be sustainable on a large scale.
Most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people depend on humanitarian aid.
2023-10-21 04:51:15
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