Humanitarian aid convoys, blocked for days in Egypt because of Israel’s heavy bombardment of the Gaza Strip, headed today to the Rafah border crossing into the besieged Palestinian enclave, humanitarian officials report. Since Hamas launched its bloody attack on Israel on October 7, Egypt has kept the Rafah border crossing closed to ease entry or passage for its citizens seeking to flee, while Israel has repeatedly attacked the Palestinian side of the pass. “We have arrived at the terminal and are now waiting for the next step,” reported Heba Rashed, head of the humanitarian group Mersal. Hundreds more trucks were traveling along the coastal road on the 40-kilometer journey from the Egyptian city of El Arish to Rafah, other aid organizations reported. A Red Crescent official confirmed that humanitarian convoys were gathering on the Egyptian side of the divided border town of Rafah. “We were not told when we would cross, but we were asked to go to Rafah,” the Egyptian Red Crescent official said. “You could say we are close to an agreement on the influx of aid and the withdrawal of foreigners,” he said.
