Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt has dispatched one of its largest humanitarian aid convoys to the Gaza Strip, delivering approximately 5,900 tons of relief supplies amid worsening humanitarian conditions and the onset of winter, Egyptian authorities announced on Thursday.
The Egyptian Red Crescent launched the 102nd convoy under the initiative titled “Zat El-Ezza, from Egypt to Gaza,” continuing its role as Egypt’s national mechanism for coordinating humanitarian assistance to the besieged territory. The convoy includes dozens of trucks carrying urgent food, medical, relief, and fuel supplies intended to support civilians facing severe shortages.
According to the Red Crescent, the convoy contains nearly 3,000 tons of food baskets and flour, more than 1,900 tons of medical and relief supplies, and over 1,000 tons of petroleum products. These fuel shipments are considered critical for sustaining the limited number of hospitals still operating in Gaza, as well as bakeries that provide basic food for the population.
Given deteriorating weather conditions in the enclave, the convoy also includes extensive winter aid. Supplies include more than 33,200 blankets, approximately 15,350 items of winter clothing, 4,800 mattresses, and 3,150 tents to shelter families displaced by ongoing hostilities.
The “Zat El-Ezza” aid initiative was first launched by the Egyptian Red Crescent on July 27 and has since delivered thousands of tons of humanitarian assistance, including food supplies, infant formula, medicines, medical equipment, personal care items, and fuel. The latest convoy marks the second major shipment under the current phase of aid deliveries.
The first batch of the convoy departed from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, heading toward the Al-Awja crossing for inspection and clearance procedures before proceeding to the Kerem Shalom crossing, where the aid is transferred into Gaza. Egyptian media reported that the process involves extensive checks before trucks are allowed to unload their cargo inside the enclave.
The latest delivery comes as Palestinian sources warn of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly with the arrival of winter. According to those sources, there are acute shortages of essential food items such as flour, cooking oil, sugar, rice, and infant milk. Malnutrition is reportedly threatening the lives of tens of thousands of infants under one year old, as well as hundreds of thousands of children under the age of five.
The recent Sharm El-Sheikh agreement, signed in Egypt, calls for the immediate and sustained entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Under the agreement, a minimum of 400 aid trucks per day is targeted during the initial phase, with the aim of increasing that number to more than 600 trucks daily in later stages. The agreement also stipulates that United Nations agencies, including UNRWA, alongside the Red Crescent and neutral international organizations, will oversee the management and distribution of aid to ensure it reaches civilians without interference from conflicting parties.
Despite these arrangements, reports indicate continued Israeli restrictions on the number of trucks permitted to enter Gaza. Some shipments are reportedly turned back or partially rejected after unloading, reflecting the ongoing blockade imposed on the territory for more than two years.
Egyptian officials and humanitarian organizations say they remain committed to sustaining aid deliveries, stressing that continued international cooperation is essential to prevent further deterioration of living conditions for Gaza’s civilian population.
