A third convoy of trucks carrying vital humanitarian aid entered the Rafah crossing from Egypt on Monday bound for the besieged Gaza Strip, an aid worker and two security sources said.
The Egyptian Red Crescent head in North Sinai, Khalid Zayed, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) that 40 trucks are expected to enter Monday, carrying food, medicine and other supplies provided by Egypt, other countries and international organizations.
At least 27 aid planes have landed in North Sinai's al-Arish airport since Oct. 12, carrying aid from many countries including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, Türkiye and Brazil, as well as United Nations agencies.
On Saturday and Sunday 34 trucks passed through. The number of trucks in Monday's convoy was similar to each of those days, the aid worker and security sources said.
U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said 17 trucks with relief supplies were able to enter Gaza via the Rafah border crossing Sunday, calling the delivery a "glimmer of hope."
On Saturday, 20 trucks had delivered medical supplies, water and food to the Gaza Strip, the first deliveries since Israel imposed a "complete siege" on Gaza more than two weeks ago following the surprise incursion by Hamas on Oct. 7.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday agreed to keep aid moving into the Gaza Strip.
In a phone call, Biden and Netanyahu agreed that "there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza," the White House said.
Biden "welcomed the first two convoys of humanitarian assistance ... which crossed the border into Gaza and is being distributed to Palestinians in need," the White House said in a readout of the call.
Biden and Netanyahu also discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and to allow free passage for U.S. citizens and other civilians wishing to leave the Gaza Strip, the White House said.
At least 4,650 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel started an indiscriminate bombing of the blockaded strip two weeks ago. In comparison, around 1,400 people have died in Israel.
Meanwhile, the U.N. warned of the danger of disease in the blockaded territory. The U.N. office for emergency relief (OCHA) said Sunday that at least 100 trucks of relief supplies were needed on a daily basis, and warned that chickenpox, scabies and diarrhoeal diseases are spreading in Gaza, mainly due to unsafe drinking water.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) noted that the Gaza Strip is set to run out of fuel in three days.
"Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.
He called on all parties concerned to allow fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip immediately and to ensure that fuel is strictly used to prevent a collapse of the humanitarian response.
