Egyptian Machinery Repairing Rafah Crossing in Readiness for Gaza Aid Delivery
(AWP) - Machinery worked to repair the damage to the Rafah crossing with Gaza on Friday in the hope of commencing aid deliveries to the besieged territory which has been subjected to Israeli bombardment for two weeks.
A correspondent for the Arab World Press (AWP) on the Palestinian side of the crossing reported that the crossing is still closed while the Egyptian machinery started operating today.
An official Palestinian source at the Rafah crossing told AWP on Friday that the Egyptian side was carrying out repairs to the gate of the crossing that is located at the southernmost point of the enclave.
The source, who preferred not to be named, explained that the Egyptian side had removed a concrete wall it had installed a few days ago.
They added, “Some heavy equipment on the Egyptian side was working on levelling the road to ease the passage of humanitarian relief trucks waiting for permission to cross into Gaza.”
The Israeli army shelled the Palestinian side of the crossing that links the Gaza Strip to Egypt more than once since the war broke out a couple of weeks ago following an attack by Palestinian factions on Israeli towns and sites surrounding the enclave on October 7.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that Israel would not prevent the passage of aid to Gaza from Egypt, adding that the decision was in response to a request from U.S. President Joe Biden.
Earlier today, CNN quoted unnamed sources as saying that the opening of the Rafah crossing for a humanitarian relief convoy to Gaza was not expected to happen on Friday, as roads on the Egyptian side of the buffer zone need to be repaired.
The news network quoted an informed source as saying, “I wouldn’t bet on these trucks entering today as there are many details being considered in order to ensure the sustainability of the aid.”
CNN also reported that U.S. officials now expect the first aid convoy to Gaza to go through “most likely on Saturday.”
It added that Israel would want to participate in a mechanism to monitor the humanitarian aid trucks bound for Gaza to verify what is being sent to the region.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that it was prepared for the humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and that what is lacking is its immediate and regular delivery.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Friday that the situation in Gaza was spiralling out of control in the absence of aid.
He said that the aid supplied by WHO to Gaza has been stranded on the border for four days and stressed the urgent need for a way to start delivering the life-saving aid.
Earlier on Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived at the Egyptian al-Arish Airport, near the Rafah crossing.