Humanitarian Aid Trucks Prepare to Enter Gaza Strip
Dozens of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid in the Egyptian city of El-Arish are preparing to head towards the Gaza Strip, as part of the terms of the ceasefire agreement between the Hamas movement and Israel, which came into effect today, Friday. A United Nations official stated that the international organization will begin delivering massive and large-scale humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza after tomorrow, Sunday, following the entry into force of the ceasefire.
UNRWA Prepares to Distribute Aid
The spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Jonathan Fowler, told Al Jazeera that the agency has 6,000 aid trucks ready to enter the Gaza Strip. He added: "We are waiting for the signal to start distributing aid in the Gaza Strip. We have warehouses in Egypt and Jordan, and humanitarian convoys in El-Arish, Egypt, are waiting to enter Gaza via Kerem Shalom. The people in Gaza need food, medicine, and everything." Fowler emphasized that UNRWA did not stop working throughout the war and has 12,000 workers on the ground in the Gaza Strip, but more than 170 agency staff members were killed during the war, without specifying the exact number.
Obstacles to Aid Delivery
Fowler also stressed that the situation is changing every moment and that obstacles related to the opening of the Gaza Strip's crossing points must be lifted, and life must immediately return to normal in the Gaza Strip. He stated that Israel has been applying laws since last year that prevent coordination between them and the agency.
Long Lines of Trucks Waiting
The Anadolu Agency spotted long lines of trucks parked in El-Arish, waiting for authorization to move. They will first have to cross into the Egyptian city of Rafah, then to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which is under Israeli control, before entering the Gaza Strip. Mohamed Mahmoud, one of the truck drivers, told Anadolu: "We are loaded with aid, and we are dozens in El-Arish waiting for the order to head towards the Egyptian city of Rafah, then to the Kerem Shalom crossing, in order to enter Gaza." He specified that the drivers are still waiting for coordination procedures before heading to the border crossing to transport the aid inside the territory.
Ceasefire Agreement
The agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect at 12:00 Jerusalem time (09:00 GMT), coinciding with the completion of a partial withdrawal of the Israeli army from inside the territory, up to what is known as the "Yellow Line". This withdrawal includes the city of Gaza, except for the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood to the east, while the army has forbidden Palestinians from accessing the cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya in the north, the Rafah crossing, and the Philadelphia axis in the south, in addition to areas east of the city of Khan Younes and the coast of the territory. Israeli forces have also withdrawn from central areas that housed aid distribution centers they had controlled for long periods, allowing a gradual return of civilian movement and rescue teams.
Terms of the Agreement
According to the terms of the agreement, the immediate entry of all humanitarian aid and its free distribution are permitted, based on the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19, 2025, which provided for the entry of 600 aid trucks per day into the Gaza Strip.
