Latest news with #AmalImam
Al-Ahram Weekly
12 hours ago
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt dispatches 13th aid convoy to Gaza with food, medicine and fuel
Egypt's 13th humanitarian aid convoy headed on Tuesday morning toward Gaza, preparing to enter the strip from the Rafah border crossing through the Karm Abu Salem crossing. The convoy, organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), is loaded with thousands of tons of aid, including food baskets, medical supplies, hospital beds, essential medical equipment, and fuel. The dispatch comes as part of Egypt's ongoing relief efforts aimed at stemming the unfolding famine caused by Israel's genocidal war and mass starvation campaign in Gaza. This follows a visit on Monday by members of The Elders, a peace advocacy group, to the ERC warehouses in Arish, North Sinai, where they inspected shocking amounts of food and medicine in Egyptian warehouses, ready to enter the strip but delayed due to Israeli authorities' prolonged inspection processes. "The Israeli killing and starving of Gaza must end now," the group said after listening to accounts from truck drivers who said their vehicles have been turned back by Israeli authorities multiple times without a plausible explanation. On Monday, Egypt's 12th aid convoy headed to Gaza carrying over 2,000 tons of relief items, including food baskets, flour, medical drugs, and treatment supplies. On Sunday, Egypt's 11th aid convoy also entered Gaza through the Karm Abu Salem crossing, including three diesel tankers. It included over 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies, personal care items, infant formula, and tens of thousands of loaves of bread prepared by the ERC. Since 27 July, Egypt has sent successive aid convoys into Gaza in an effort to curb the worsening famine caused by Israel's five-month blockade of the strip. The months-long Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has caused the deaths of over 212 Palestinians, including nearly 100 children, according to Palestinian health authorities. The renewed Egyptian push, in collaboration with international humanitarian organizations, comes as famine tightens its grip on the nearly 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. According to ERC Executive Director Amal Imam, Egypt has sent 36,000 trucks carrying more than 500,000 tons of aid since the start of the war in October 2023. Furthermore, the Egyptian Armed Forces have carried out multiple airdrops of food to reach areas in Gaza cut off from aid distribution. According to the United Nations, the entire population is now facing food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has also warned of a 'worst-case scenario of famine.' Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's 12th aid convoy heads to Gaza with food, fuel supplies - Foreign Affairs
The 12th Egyptian aid convoy lined up early Monday morning in preparation to enter the Gaza Strip through the Karm Abu Salem crossing, including three fuel trucks, food supplies, and baby formula. The three fuel trucks add to the previous five that entered Gaza since last Sunday, bringing the total number to eight fuel deliveries in a week. The 12th convoy is loaded with hundreds of tons of food, water, medical supplies, and other relief materials. It involves canned meals, legumes, and essential medicines. Upon entering the Karm Abu Salem crossing, which operates from 8am to 5pm, the trucks undergo a lengthy inspection process before being allowed to enter the strip. Once cleared, they are handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent and United Nations agencies for distribution inside Gaza. Egypt has been dispatching near-weekly land convoys to Gaza since Israel announced a "tactical pause" that allows limited aid entry to the strip after five months of complete Israeli blockade on food, water, and medicine entry, which pushed the strip's population into a catastrophic famine. Egypt sent its first convoy after months of blockade, under the "Zad Al-Ezza" humanitarian initiative, on 27 July. On Sunday, Egypt's 11th aid convoy entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing, including three diesel tankers. The convoy included over 3,000 tons of food, medical supplies, personal care items, infant formula, and tens of thousands of loaves of bread prepared by the ERC. According to Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) Executive Director Amal Imam, Egypt has sent 36,000 trucks carrying more than 500,000 tons of aid since the war began. Moreover, the Egyptian Armed Forces have conducted airdrops of food into isolated areas of Gaza. The renewed aid push comes as Gaza's 2.3 million population struggles to survive under Israel's systemic policy of blockade and starvation. Palestinian health officials say the manmade famine has killed 212 civilians in Gaza, half of whom were children. According to the United Nations, the entire population is now facing food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has also warned of a 'worst-case scenario of famine.' Since May, the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been presented as an alternative to the UN-run aid system. However, Israel has been using its distribution sites as bait to target Palestinians as they wait to receive assistance. Egypt, several global and regional powers, and dozens of international aid agencies have condemned the GHF as a 'mechanism of death' for Palestinians. Since the inception of GHF, the Israeli forces have killed over 1,500 Palestinians near its centres, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported. As of Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's 11th aid convoy dispatched to Gaza with fuel
Egypt's 11th aid convoy for Gaza left the Rafah crossing on Saturday, led by three diesel tankers — bringing the total fuel deliveries to five trucks in a week — amid Israel's deadly five-month blockade of the besieged strip and its ongoing 22-month-long genocidal war. Last Sunday, two fuel trucks joined the sixth convoy, signalling what could become a weekly fuel corridor. Live coverage from the Rafah border crossing showed the convoy carrying more than 3,000 tonnes of food, medical supplies, personal care items, infant formula, and tens of thousands of loaves of bread, prepared by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC). The Egyptian aid trucks head to the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing—open from 8am to 5pm—where ERC officials say trucks face hours-long inspections despite earlier agreements on procedures, before being unloaded to the Palestinian Red Crescent and United Nations (UN) agencies for distribution. Over 5,000 aid trucks remain queued on the Egyptian side, awaiting entry into Gaza as part of Cairo's effort to counter the total ban on food, water, fuel, and medicine imposed since 2 March. On Wednesday, ERC executive director Amal Imam said Egypt had sent 36,000 trucks carrying over 500,000 tonnes of aid since the war began—70 percent humanitarian supplies and 30 percent relief and medical goods. The Israeli blockade has pushed much of Gaza's 2.3 million population into famine, killing 212 Palestinians, half of them children. Alongside land convoys, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman, Brigadier General Gharib Abdel Hafez, said the military had airdropped food into hard-to-reach areas of Gaza using 12 transport aircraft. On Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called the conflict 'a war of starvation and genocide,' demanding an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of life-saving humanitarian aid, and rejecting accusations that Egypt was blocking supplies. In May, Israel backed a US-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), opening four distribution centres near which occupation forces killed over 1,500 starving, aid-seeking Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The GHF was condemned by Egypt, other global and regional powers, and dozens of international aid agencies as a "mechanism of death." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's 11th aid convoy dispatched to Gaza, carrying fuel
Egypt's 11th aid convoy for Gaza left the Rafah crossing on Saturday, led by three diesel tankers — bringing the total fuel deliveries to five trucks in a week — amid Israel's deadly five-month blockade of the besieged strip and its ongoing 22-month-long genocidal war. Last Sunday, two fuel trucks joined the sixth convoy, signalling what could become a weekly fuel corridor. Live coverage from the Rafah border crossing showed the convoy carrying more than 3,000 tonnes of food, medical supplies, personal care items, infant formula, and tens of thousands of loaves of bread, prepared by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC). The Egyptian aid trucks head to the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing—open from 8am to 5pm—where ERC officials say trucks face hours-long inspections despite earlier agreements on procedures, before being unloaded to the Palestinian Red Crescent and United Nations (UN) agencies for distribution. Over 5,000 aid trucks remain queued on the Egyptian side, awaiting entry into Gaza as part of Cairo's effort to counter the total ban on food, water, fuel, and medicine imposed since 2 March. On Wednesday, ERC executive director Amal Imam said Egypt had sent 36,000 trucks carrying over 500,000 tonnes of aid since the war began—70 percent humanitarian supplies and 30 percent relief and medical goods. The Israeli blockade has pushed much of Gaza's 2.3 million population into famine, killing 212 Palestinians, half of them children. Alongside land convoys, Egyptian Armed Forces Spokesman, Brigadier General Gharib Abdel Hafez, said the military had airdropped food into hard-to-reach areas of Gaza using 12 transport aircraft. On Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called the conflict 'a war of starvation and genocide,' demanding an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of life-saving humanitarian aid, and rejecting accusations that Egypt was blocking supplies. In May, Israel backed a US-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), opening four distribution centres near which occupation forces killed over 1,500 starving, aid-seeking Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The GHF was condemned by Egypt, other global and regional powers, and dozens of international aid agencies as a "mechanism of death." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 days ago
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt dispatches 10th aid convoy to Gaza
Egypt's 10th aid convoy started rolling through the Rafah crossing on Thursday early morning towards the inspection point of the Karm Abu Salem crossing, waiting for permission to unload tons of life-saving food and medical supplies for the Palestinian Red Crescent and UN aid agencies to deliver to Gaza. The convoy is part of the emergency Egyptian response, in collaboration with the UN and its humanitarian partners, to stem famine conditions unfolding in Gaza over the past several weeks amid the Israeli genocidal war and engineered famine in the strip. The convoy is carrying freshly baked bread, hot meals, flour, and urgently needed medical supplies for the besieged strip, according to media reports. Late on Wednesday, Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) Executive Director Amal Imam said the total aid sent from Egypt to the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has reached 36,000 trucks carrying over 500,000 tons of aid. Seventy percent of this is humanitarian aid, while the remaining 30 percent consists of relief and medical supplies. "This aid includes 200 trucks coordinated with the Egyptian National Alliance for Civil and Development Work," Imam told the Al-Hayat Al-Youm TV programme. Media reports also confirmed that aid trucks unload their cargoes at the Karm Abu Salem crossing after inspection by the Israeli occupation forces, waiting to be delivered to starved Palestinians by the Palestinian Red Crescent and other UN aid agencies working in the strip. The five-month-old complete Israeli blockade on the entry of food, water, and medicine to Gaza has driven most of the strip's 2.3 million population into famine. This Israeli-induced starvation has killed at least 200 Palestinians, including tens of children. Since 27 July, the ERC has managed to deliver 20,000 tons of aid supplies to Gaza under the Zad El-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza humanitarian initiative to save starving Palestinians. However, Israel has continued to delay the entry of aid trucks into Gaza at the Karm Abu Salem crossing as Israeli soldiers inspected trucks over and over for hours at a time. On Wednesday, the Egyptian military spokesman said twelve Egyptian military transport aircraft have airdropped large quantities of food aid to areas in Gaza that are difficult to access by land over the past three days. The airdrops are conducted in parallel with land convoys through the Rafah crossing. On Tuesday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi described the war in Gaza as "a war of starvation and genocide," calling for an immediate ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid to the strip. He also categorically rejected the accusations levelled at Egypt of blocking aid. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
