Aid starts entering Gaza as Rafah crossing opens for first time since Hamas attack

Cairo [Egypt]: Over 3000 tonnes of humanitarian aid started entering Gaza, as the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday for the first time since the horrific attack on Israel by Hamas, Times of Israel reported.

More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid, which had been positioned near the crossing for days, began heading into Gaza. The Egyptian state television also showed several trucks entering the gate, Times of Israel reported.

Meanwhile, several foreign nationals are expected to leave Gaza, and the US Embassy in Jerusalem has warned of a “potentially chaotic and disorderly environment on both sides of the crossing.”

This comes as the UN is focussing on efforts to push humanitarian aid across the Egyptian border into Gaza.

Earlier on Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza in northern Sinai in Egypt, CNN reported.

Guterres told the reporters that the large convoy loaded with food and medicine was “the difference between life and death for the people,” as per UN News.

“For nearly two weeks, Gaza has gone without any shipments of fuel, food, water and medicine. The UN is focusing all its efforts for a sustained operation to deliver critical humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the UN spokesperson said in a post on social media.

Meanwhile, Egypt is hosting dozens of regional leaders and senior Western officials for a summit on the war between Israel and Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.

The meeting will discuss ways to de-escalate the fighting and seek a cease-fire amid mounting concerns about a regional conflict, Times of Israel reported citing Egypt’s state-run media.

Israel has also issued a warning for its citizens against travel to Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, citing fears that Israeli travellers will be targets of those angry at the ongoing war sparked by the deadly Hamas onslaught.

The announcement from the National Security Agency, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry says it is raising the alert to Egypt (including the Sinai Peninsula) and Jordan to a 4 and calling on all Israelis in the country to leave as soon as possible, Times of Israel reported.