17 Trucks Carrying Second Batch of Relief Supplies for Gaza Strip Pass Through Rafah Border Checkpoint

On the 21st (local time), relief supply transport trucks that passed through the Rafah border checkpoint in Egypt arrived in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Relief supplies for residents of the Gaza Strip in Palestine have departed from Egypt.

AFP, AP News, and others reported on the 22nd (local time) that 17 trucks carrying additional humanitarian aid supplies for Gaza Strip residents passed through the Rafah border crossing in Egypt. This crossing is the only entry point into the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel.

Thus, since the outbreak of war on the 7th following a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, the Gaza Strip, which had been under a full blockade by Israel, was opened for the first time the previous day, allowing 20 trucks to enter through the Rafah crossing, marking the second delivery of relief supplies within a day.

However, this amount is far from sufficient to meet the needs of over 2 million Gaza Strip residents, and calls continue for additional relief shipments and the continued opening of the crossing.

The United Nations has urged that the volume of aid entering through this "lifeline" should be about 100 trucks per day.

The Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, governed by Hamas, pointed out that "the 20 trucks that arrived on the first day amount to only 3% of the health and humanitarian aid supplies usually brought in daily," according to Egypt's state-run daily Al-Ahram.

Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said on the same day, "Without fuel, there will be no water, no properly functioning hospitals, and no bakeries," adding, "Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian aid," as reported by the Israeli daily Haaretz.

AFP reported that fuel trucks entered the Gaza Strip for the first time since the crisis began, but the amount of fuel brought in is expected to fall far short of the required demand.