Egypt’s sixth and largest humanitarian aid convoy entered Gaza on Sunday, 3 August, including two fuel trucks carrying 107 tonnes of diesel — vital for restarting operations at Gaza’s hospitals and bakeries — in light of the intensifying humanitarian crisis that has brought on acute malnutrition and starvation in the enclave, Ahram Online reports.
The convoy, which also includes dozens of trucks filled with food staples such as flour, sugar, ghee, lentils, fava beans, cooking oil, and infant formula, made the journey from Egypt’s Rafah crossing to the Israeli-inspected Karm Abu Salem crossing before heading into Gaza.
This most recent delivery, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent, is part of a recent escalation in Egyptian aid contribution following months of near-complete Israeli blockade and comes in the wake of additional airlifts of food by Egyptian military aircraft to areas otherwise unreachable overland.
This comes in light of the Israeli military announcing new “humanitarian corridors” and “pauses” aimed at allowing aid convoys into the area. However, no specific locations for the pause were identified in the statement issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
International aid agencies and United Nations officials have repeatedly warned that current deliveries, including airdrops, fall far short of addressing the scale of the need. Humanitarian organisations continue to call for the full and sustained opening of land crossings to enable large-scale assistance and prevent further civilian suffering.
Egypt has repeatedly stressed the need for safe and unimpeded access for aid deliveries. Sunday’s convoy is part of ongoing efforts to mitigate the crisis, as shortages of food, medicine, and critical infrastructure continue to affect civilians across the territory.
According to a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), nearly 500,000 people in Gaza were facing famine-level hunger (IPC Phase 5), with nearly the entire population experiencing severe food insecurity.
By the end of May, over 1,000 Palestinians had reportedly been killed while seeking food. Many of the deaths occurred at privately-run distribution points, which the United Nations has criticised for lacking adequate safety measures.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a relentless military campaign in Gaza, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to health officials. UN experts have warned of famine conditions due to Israel’s continued blockade, and a growing number of countries have likened the situation to a potential genocide.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has also surged, with nearly 1,000 Palestinians killed since the conflict began, many in attacks by settlers or Israeli forces. Meanwhile, illegal Israeli settlement construction has expanded, in violation of international law.
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