New aid flights have arrived in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, where relief materials are being held until safe delivery into the nearby Gaza Strip can be secured. The United States has been working with Egypt, Israel, and Qatar to open the Rafah crossing on Saturday, which is the main exit point for the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents that is not controlled by Israel.
However, it is unclear if Palestinian Islamist group Hamas would allow access to the crossing. Two aid flights, including one from Turkey, arrived at Sinai’s Al Arish airport, bringing the total number of planes that have arrived this week carrying humanitarian relief for Gaza to at least five.
The World Health Organization said a plane carrying trauma medicines and health supplies had landed. Egyptian security forces have been reinforcing security on their side of the border, including moving concrete barriers, but reports that they were sealing off the crossing were incorrect.
Source: Reuters
