20 trucks of humanitarian aid will be granted entry to Gaza from Egypt in the coming days, after the U.S. brokered a deal between Israel and Egypt.
The trucks will be the first humanitarian aid to enter the region since the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, which prompted the Israeli Government to declare war.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its trucks are “loaded and ready to go” to deliver food, water and medicine.
Here’s the latest.
Background
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has continued to intensify following Hamas’ unprecedented attack.
Hamas has killed at least 1,400 people, including civilians, according to Israeli authorities. It has also taken more than 200 people hostage.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says the Israeli Defence Forces have killed at least 3,000 people, including civilians. Israel has implemented a siege of Gaza until hostages are returned, blocking access to necessities like food, water, and electricity.
During this time, Egypt has kept its border with Gaza, in the city of Rafah, closed.
Humanitarian aid agreement
This week, President Biden travelled to Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
During the visit, he secured an agreement with Israel and Egypt to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and pledged $US100 million in humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people.
The aid will be transported by the UN at Rafah, Gaza’s only non-Israel border.
According to the New York Times, the aid trucks will be inspected before they enter Gaza.
Response
UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has described the situation in Gaza as “extremely dire” and at risk of “deteriorating exponentially”.
“We need food, water, medicine and fuel now. We need it at scale and we need it to be sustained,” he said.
The WHO has said 20 trucks will be a “drop in the ocean” of the scale of aid needed in Gaza.
UN resolution
The deal comes after a UN Security Council resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid to Gaza was vetoed by the U.S.
After the vote, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the U.S. voted down the resolution because it didn’t mention Israel’s right to defend itself.
The U.S. is a permanent member of the Security Council, which means it has veto power. The UK and Russia, also permanent members, abstained.
