Aid Trucks Face Prolonged Congestion at Rafah as Israeli Restrictions Intensify

Long queues of aid trucks continue to build up at the Rafah crossing as Israeli authorities tighten restrictions on the flow of humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip, leaving critical relief stranded on the Egyptian side.

Convoys carrying food, fuel, and medical aid remain active despite the bottlenecks at Kerem Shalom — the only crossing Israel permits for humanitarian deliveries. On Sunday, the 11th convoy left for the crossing, including fuel trucks vital for running hospitals and pumping water, along with hundreds of tons of food and medical supplies.

Three trucks carrying hospital beds and medical equipment were turned back by Israeli forces without explanation. No official lists are provided to clarify such rejections, complicating aid coordination and prolonging shortages in Gaza, where a deepening humanitarian crisis has already left civilians struggling to access food, clean water, and medical care.

Last Thursday, only 64 out of 170 trucks dispatched were granted entry. Many of the refused consignments — including medicines and infant formula — return daily to the Rafah crossing, adding to the congestion.

Egyptian authorities, in coordination with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies, continue to send hundreds of trucks daily in line with Gaza’s urgent humanitarian needs. But aid agencies warn that persistent Israeli restrictions are blocking vital life-saving supplies from reaching civilians in the war-battered enclave.