Relief Supplies Arrive in Devastated Gaza Strip After 2 Weeks

Delivery of Supplies Through Lapa Checkpoint on the 20th

Relief supplies are expected to be delivered to residents of the Gaza Strip about two weeks after the outbreak of the Israel-Palestine armed conflict, which began with an airstrike by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

On the 19th (local time), major foreign media reported that the border checkpoint from Egypt into the Gaza Strip will open on the 20th. The Associated Press cited Al Kahira, a broadcaster affiliated with the Egyptian government, saying that humanitarian aid supplies for Palestinian residents will be delivered through the Rafah border checkpoint, the gateway connecting Egypt and southern Gaza.

Amid ongoing armed clashes between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, residents are passing by a vehicle damaged by an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, on the 19th (local time).
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In front of the Rafah checkpoint, the virtually only passage connecting southern Gaza and Egypt, about 150 trucks worth of relief supplies from various countries and international organizations are already waiting. In the Egyptian city of El Arish, about 45 km from Rafah, even more relief goods are on standby.

Earlier, Israel and Egypt conditionally agreed to allow relief supplies into the Gaza Strip on the occasion of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit the previous day. Israel stipulated that only food, water, and medicine could be brought in, and that these supplies must not fall into the hands of Hamas. Egypt set safety guarantees, such as the secure passage of relief convoys, as a prerequisite for the sustainable opening of the corridor.

Following a surprise attack by Hamas in the early hours of the 7th that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians, Israel declared the complete annihilation of Hamas and imposed a full blockade on its stronghold, the Gaza Strip. Israel has concentrated tens of thousands of troops near the Gaza border and continues indiscriminate airstrikes. Although there are ongoing expectations that Israel’s ground forces will soon be deployed, no concrete signs of a full-scale operation have yet been detected.

Yoav Galant, Israel’s Minister of Defense, urged infantry soldiers at a meeting held near the Gaza border on the same day to "organize and maintain readiness." He added, "Anyone who is currently watching Gaza from afar will see it from inside," promising, "I guarantee it." However, he did not disclose when the ground invasion would begin.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.