Gaza aid stuck as Egypt says Israel not cooperating

[October 16, 2023]  By Yusri Mohamed, Nadine Awadalla and Tala Ramadan
 
ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egypt said on Monday that Israel was not cooperating with delivery of aid into Gaza and evacuations of foreign passport holders via the only entry it does not wholly control, leaving hundreds of tons of supplies stuck.  

A view of trucks carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians, as they wait for the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing to enter Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the city of Al-Arish, Sinai peninsula, Egypt, October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

Cairo says the Rafah crossing, a potentially vital opening for desperately-needed supplies into the besieged Palestinian enclave, is not officially closed but is inoperable due to Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.

"There is an urgent need to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza," Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters, adding that talks with Israel had not been fruitful.

"Until now the Israeli government has not taken a position on opening the Rafah crossing from the Gaza side to allow the entrance of assistance and exit of citizens of third countries."

More than 2 million Gazans have been under siege since Israel launched an intense bombardment and blockade in retaliation for an assault by the Hamas Islamist militants.

Two Egyptian security sources had told Reuters a ceasefire in southern Gaza to last several hours had been agreed for Monday morning to facilitate aid and evacuations at Rafah.

However, Israel denied that.

"There is currently no truce and humanitarian aid in Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out," a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq told Reuters the same.

On the ground at Rafah, one source said that there had been no bombardments on Monday and that the Egyptian side of the crossing was ready. Shoukry said Egypt aimed to allow normal flow through the crossing, including for Palestinians seeking medical treatment or normal travel.

Hundreds of tons of aid from NGOs and several countries were waiting on trucks in the nearby Egyptian town of Al-Arish for conditions to allow entry to Gaza, according to two sources there and a witness.

Separately, Reuters video showed U.N.-flagged fuel trucks appearing to leave Gaza for Egypt through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.

(Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan in Cairo, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Yusri Mohamed in Ismailia, Nidal Al Mughrabi in Gaza, Nadine Awadalla and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Additional reporting by Aidan Lewis in Cairo; writing by Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Toby Chopra and Andrew Cawthorne)

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