Egypt exerts maximum efforts to reach truce between Hamas, Israel

CAIRO – 7 December 2023: Chief of the Egyptian State Information Services (SIS) Diaa Rashwan said that Egypt is currently exerting maximum efforts with partners, to reach again a truce between Hamas and Israel as soon as possible, and to extend it further periods, until a comprehensive ceasefire is reached.

He added that Egypt is cooperating with partners to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid to the Gaza Strip, and to strive diligently to increase it as it is necessary and urgent for the Palestinians there.

“Egypt permanently opens the Rafah border crossing for individuals and goods, and any obstacles at the crossing come from the Israeli side,” he affirmed.

According to Rashwan, a total of 3,313 trucks of food and relief supplies, fuel, and household gas entered the Gaza Strip since October 21, while 682 injured Palestinians, and 11,067 Egyptians and foreign nationals were evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

A one-week truce between Hamas and Israel was reached by Egypt and Qatar’s brokerage, and resulted in the release of 240 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israeli prisons, in exchange for the release of 81 Israelis and 22 people of other nationalities who were detained in the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian resistance fighters. In parallel, the truce succeeded in expanding and regularizing the entry of humanitarian and relief aid and fuel to our besieged brothers in the Gaza Strip.

Today, the Palestinian Red Crescent said that its staff received 80 trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent through the Rafah crossing, loaded with humanitarian aid.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that the number of Palestinians killed reached more than 16,200 (more than 6,000 children and more than 4,000 women) and more than 42,000 wounded, with more than 70% of the wounded are women and children.