Egypt Daily News – On Tuesday, Egyptian media published videos showing the entry of heavy equipment used for rubble removal into the Gaza Strip, days after they were lined up at the Rafah land crossing.
Cairo News Channel, monitored the entry of bulldozers through the Rafah crossing, stating that “Egyptian-Qatari efforts have succeeded in bringing in equipment for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.” The channel also mentioned that “relief caravans” have begun entering the sector, referring to mobile homes.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted an Israeli source as saying that Hamas wants to release all six living hostages next Saturday in exchange for a guarantee to free 47 detainees who were previously released in the Shalit deal but were later rearrested.
According to the source, Hamas does not want to postpone the operation to the following Saturday for fear that Israel might backtrack on releasing them.
The source added that to ensure the operation is carried out on Saturday, Israel will allow the entry of caravans and heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip, something that had been prohibited until this morning by order of the Prime Minister.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli government announced that it would not allow the entry of mobile homes (caravans) and engineering vehicles into the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation. This comes at a time when Palestinians in the Strip are awaiting the arrival of temporary housing to improve their living conditions.
Videos and images published by Egyptian media in recent days showed a large number of trucks carrying mobile homes, alongside excavation and rubble removal equipment, lined up and waiting for permission to enter the Strip.
On Thursday, an official source at the Rafah crossing told Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency that the equipment is expected to enter Gaza “in the coming days” to assist in removing rubble and repairing roads destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the ongoing war, which has lasted for about 15 months.
Since the ceasefire agreement was reached, the Rafah crossing has been used to evacuate the wounded and sick, while humanitarian aid and goods have been entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
