فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Gaza – In the early hours of Sunday, the first aid trucks crossed the border from Egypt into the besieged and starving Gaza Strip, coinciding with Israel’s announcement of a daily humanitarian pause in military operations in several areas of the territory.
Footage from the AFP news agency showed a convoy of trucks loaded with white sacks crossing the Egyptian side at the Rafah crossing leading to southern Gaza. However, the trucks do not enter Gaza directly through the Rafah crossing, which has been closed for more than a year; instead, they must travel several kilometers to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing for inspection.
Earlier, the Israeli army announced that it had airdropped humanitarian aid over Gaza after weeks of international pressure to allow the entry of food and vital supplies to the territory devastated by more than 21 months of warfare.
Suad Ishtaywi, a 30-year-old woman living in a tent in northern Gaza, told AFP: “The dream of my life has become just to eat a piece of bread and be able to give it to my children. Every morning at dawn my husband goes out looking for flour… but he returns with nothing.”
She added, “We heard on the news that trucks carrying flour and food would enter Gaza. We hope if they do, they will reach us.”
Israel, which has besieged Gaza since the war against Hamas began on October 7, 2023, imposed a complete blockade on the territory in early March, only partially eased at the end of May, causing severe shortages.
The UN and NGOs have warned of a sharp rise in child malnutrition and the risk of widespread famine among Gaza’s more than two million residents.
In Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, AFP footage showed crowds of Palestinians walking through the sand amid rubble, carrying bags of flour they had received at the Zikim checkpoint.
Jordan announced sending a convoy of 60 trucks carrying 962 tons of food supplies to this crossing point.
A Limited Ceasefire Amid an Ongoing Crisis
Israel announced a “tactical pause” to be observed daily from Sunday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm to allow aid distribution. The areas covered include Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, al-Mawasi in the south, and Gaza City in the north, where there are currently no military operations, according to the army.
UN humanitarian operations chief Tom Fletcher welcomed the announcement as “a welcome step.” He wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “In contact with our teams on the ground who will do everything possible to reach as many hungry people as we can.”
Bushra Khalidi, a representative of the NGO Oxfam, told AFP, “This is a welcomed step, but we need to see real progress on the ground,” stressing the need for “a continuous and large-scale flow of aid” and a “permanent ceasefire.”
During the night, Israel released footage of a plane dropping “seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned goods,” as part of an operation “in coordination with international organizations,” according to the army.
Previous airdrops conducted by several countries in 2024 were considered dangerous and limited in scope by many humanitarian officials.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said on Saturday, “They are costly, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians.”
The UK announced on Saturday it was preparing to drop aid and evacuate children for medical reasons. The UAE said it was resuming airdrops “immediately.”
Population Reduced to Survival Mode
Israel has denied for months blocking aid and says it is not responsible for shortages, accusing Hamas of looting shipments and humanitarian organizations of failing to distribute them. However, these organizations say Israel imposes excessive restrictions on aid entering the territory.
The pro-Palestinian movement “Flotilla for Freedom” operated ship, the Handala, arrived Sunday at the Israeli port of Ashdod after being intercepted by the army on Saturday in the Mediterranean as it headed for Gaza loaded with aid.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented attack carried out by the Islamist Hamas movement against Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,219 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive that caused at least 59,733 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas Ministry of Health, which the UN considers reliable.
