Egypt repairing roads in Sinai ahead of aid delivery to Gaza

In preparation for the delivery of some of the supplies stocked in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, machinery to repair roads has been transferred from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing into the Gaza Strip, according to two security sources on Thursday.

The sole gate out of Gaza that is not under Israeli control is Rafah, but it has been closed since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist party Hamas as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian side of the border.

As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, the United States and Egypt have been pressing Israel to reach a deal to transfer aid, and the White House said on Wednesday that up to 20 trucks will be allowed to pass through.

The diplomatic activity surrounding the opening of the Rafah crossing has increased. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with King Abdullah of Jordan and the top American general in charge of troops in the Middle East, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded in Cairo that aid be distributed widely and consistently.

Additionally, on Saturday, Egypt will host a meeting on the Gaza crisis and the future of the Palestinian issue, to which Guterres is anticipated to go.

“Egypt seeks to bring in the humanitarian aid piled up in front of the Egyptian side, and for this entry to be continuous, permanent and without interruption,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, speaking alongside Guterres.

Before the current battle began on October 7, the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population relied on aid, and the UN estimates that roughly 100 trucks per day were bringing the enclave humanitarian aid.

Although it was anticipated that help would not enter until Friday, more than 100 trucks were parked near to the crossing on the Egyptian side on Thursday, according to Egyptian security sources. Nearly 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Rafah, in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, further supplies is being stored.

Large craters, cracked pavement, and damaged houses could be seen inside the crossing area in footage carried by Al Jazeera.

Foreign passport holders from Gaza are being evacuated by Western governments, but Egyptian officials have made this conditional on supplies entering the region. Details of potential evacuations are unclear.

Egyptian opposition to any major exodus of Palestinians from Gaza reflects Arab concerns that Palestinians may be forced to leave their homes permanently once more, as they were during the conflict that preceded Israel’s founding.

Cairo is particularly concerned about security in northeastern Sinai, where it once faced an escalating Islamist insurgency, as well as potential spillover from Hamas-run Gaza.

Following discussions with Vice President Joe Biden of the United States on Wednesday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would not obstruct humanitarian aid from Egypt reaching Gaza as long as it did not also reach Hamas.

It declared that it would maintain a ban on humanitarian aid entering Gaza from Israel until all hostages held by Hamas were freed.

Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza is in reaction for a disastrous assault by Hamas into Israel on October 7 that resulted in 1,400 casualties and the kidnapping of hostages.

Since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade that closely restricts the movement of people and goods.

Palestinian health officials estimate that more than 3,500 people have died and more than 12,000 have been injured as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

(With agency inputs)