Key Points
- A second convoy of aid trucks has entered the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing.
- Israeli military officials investigating after witnesses said a blast was heard near the crossing.
- UN officials say at least 100 trucks a day would be required in Gaza to cover urgent needs.
A second convoy of aid trucks has entered the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, heading towards the Gaza Strip, according to Egyptian security and humanitarian sources.
Shortly after the convoy entered the crossing witnesses said a blast was heard in the vicinity of the crossing and that ambulances could be heard deploying from the Egyptian side.
The Israeli military said one of its tanks accidentally hit an Egyptian position near the border with the Gaza Strip.
“The incident is being investigated and the details are under review. The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) expresses sorrow regarding the incident,” it said in a statement, giving no further details.
A total of about 19 trucks in Sunday’s convoy carrying medical and food supplies had been inspected by UNRWA, the United Nations’ Palestinian refugee agency, the sources said.
A first convoy of 20 trucks of badly needed supplies had entered Gaza on Saturday through Rafah, which had previously been out of operation after bombardments hit on the Gaza side of the border and amid wrangling over conditions for delivering aid.
Distribution of the supplies began on Sunday but aid officials are still warning of a humanitarian disaster as supplies of food, water and fuel run low.
Israel imposed a and launched air strikes on Gaza in response to a deadly attack on Israeli soil by Hamas on 7 October.
The significant escalation is the latest boiling point in a long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, gaining power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006.
Hamas’ stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel’s right to exist.
Israeli army flares illuminate the sky over Gaza City. Source: EPA / Mohammed Saber
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Some countries list only its military wing as a terrorist group.
Gaza’s health ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours in the enclave.
The Rafah crossing, the main entry and exit point to Gaza that does not lead to Israel, has become the focus of a push to deliver aid as humanitarian conditions in Gaza worsen.
UN officials say at least 100 trucks a day would be required in Gaza to cover urgent needs.
Before the outbreak of the most recent conflict, several hundred trucks had been arriving in the enclave daily.
Trucks, carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza through Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian border in Rafah, Gaza on October 22, 2023. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told Reuters on Saturday that work was underway to develop a “light” inspection system, whereby Israel could check the shipments but ensure a sustained flow.
In neighbouring Syria, where has a military presence, Israeli missiles hit Damascus and Aleppo international airports early on Sunday, putting both out of service and killing two workers, Syrian state media said.
Along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, has clashed with Israeli forces in support of Hamas in the deadliest escalation of frontier violence since an Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
With violence around its heavily guarded borders increasing, Israel on Sunday added 14 communities close to Lebanon and Syria to its evacuation contingency plan in the north of the country.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the international community to create “a united front” to stop Israel’s attacks against Gaza and allow in desperately needed aid which has only begun to trickle in.
“We place at the top of our priorities stopping the Israeli aggression… and bringing in medical and relief aid to prevent a major humanitarian catastrophe,” he said during a meeting with 25 ambassadors, representatives and consuls.
