UN Egypt Fully Mobilized as Egypt Stands at Forefront of Humanitarian Effort

The Egyptian government has taken action to address the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza by designating El-Arish International Airport in North Sinai as the hub for humanitarian supplies arriving from around the world. The Egyptian Red Crescent Society is coordinating the humanitarian aid in El-Arish and managing its delivery into Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. 

The United Nations (UN) system in Egypt has joined forces with the Egyptian government to deliver crucial aid to the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are in desperate need of assistance.

The UN in Egypt began preparations for aid delivery even before it was allowed into Gaza on October 21, for the first time since the outbreak of hostilities. The UN country team and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society are working together to accelerate the delivery of assistance to Gaza. 

The United Nations and its partners have issued a Flash Appeal in November, calling for at least US$1.2 billion to deliver humanitarian services to 2.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and 500,000 of the most vulnerable inhabitants of the West Bank. However, only 20.9 percent of that amount has been mobilized so far, while more than 80 percent of the population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance, according to OCHA.

"The UN would like to thank all donors who provided generous support to the Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory 2023 and to those who gave in-kind assistance to Gaza through the Egyptian Red Crescent Society. The government of Egypt has been at the forefront of lifesaving efforts since the outbreak of the Gaza crisis, with the Rafah crossing and El-Arish airport serving as centers of hope to alleviate the suffering," UN Egypt said. 

“As the UN in Egypt, we have been working with relevant authorities in Egypt and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society to facilitate an efficient and needs-based logistics system to allow for humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza,” said UN Resident Coordinator Elena Panova. “What we do on the Egyptian side of the border, in assisting to put in place a humanitarian lifeline to Gaza, we do so thanks to the efforts of the Government of Egypt, and under the leadership of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.”