Aid Deliveries to Gaza Continue Despite Israeli Restrictions, Egyptian Red Crescent Sends Ninth Convoy

The delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza remains underway as the fifth batch of Egypt’s ninth relief convoy, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent, crossed into the besieged enclave early Tuesday, despite significant delays caused by Israeli restrictions.

Trucks began entering at around 5:30 a.m. local time, heading toward the Kerem Shalom crossing for inspection before entering Gaza.

Long queues of hundreds of trucks were seen lined up outside Rafah, stretching from the crossing to the logistics zone in the Egyptian border town, waiting for clearance to move forward. While some trucks have already unloaded their cargo, many others remain idle as Israeli authorities continue to block or turn back shipments under what were described as “baseless pretexts.”

Since the launch of the aid initiative, around 20,000 tons of supplies have been delivered to Gaza, including food, medicines, flour, and bread, marking one of the largest humanitarian operations since the start of the convoy program. Thousands more trucks are still waiting in the Rafah logistics area, along with others parked on the streets of Arish and in storage facilities, reflecting the scale of Egypt’s ongoing support.

While the pace of entry has slightly improved over the past few days, the sheer number of trucks awaiting clearance continues to pose serious humanitarian and logistical challenges amid Israel’s tight blockade on the territory.