Egypt increases Gaza aid delivery to minimum of 300 trucks daily as Cairo hosts ceasefire talks

CAIRO – April 7, 2024: The State Information Service (SIS) announced that Egypt has escalated the number of humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza to a minimum of 300 trucks per day through the Rafah border crossing.

According to Head of the SIS, Diaa Rashwan, this decision, effective from Sunday, was made under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

Meanwhile, Cairo is currently hosting a fresh round of talks involving mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, with the aim of reaching a truce in Gaza after six months of war and a prisoner swap deal.

Hamas confirmed on Saturday that it would send a delegation led by Khalil Al-Hayya, the movement's deputy chief in Gaza, to Cairo for the talks.

Additionally, an Israeli government official stated that a delegation from Israel would also be attending.

However, Hamas has reiterated its commitment to the demands it presented on March 14, which include a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the return of displaced individuals to their areas of residence, especially in northern Gaza.

Israeli officials have expressed skepticism about the success of these talks in producing positive results, given Hamas' adherence to its demands.

CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani are set to participate in the talks in the Egyptian capital.

UNIMPEDED AID DELIVERY

During his Cairo visit, Burns met with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Head of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel on Sunday.

Sisi underscored the severity of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, amounting to famine.

The president urged concerted international efforts without delay to exert pressure for the unimpeded flow of essential humanitarian aid and relief to all areas in Gaza in sufficient quantities.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of protecting civilians in Gaza as Sisi and Burns discussed the joint efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and the US to achieve a ceasefire.

Numerous countries worldwide, including Egypt, have long stressed the significance of increasing aid delivery to Gaza and have urged Israel to open all its border crossings with Gaza for this purpose.

Egypt has slammed Israel for obstructing crucial humanitarian aid, while human rights groups and the United Nations have accused Israel of intentionally starving the people of Gaza as a form of warfare.

Under mounting global pressure, particularly from the United States, Israel announced last week that it would open its Erez crossing to allow aid into northern Gaza and significantly increase aid deliveries from Jordan.

REACHING NORTHERN GAZA

Rashwan stated that Egypt has dispatched 322 aid trucks to northern Gaza since the beginning of Ramadan.

The aid trucks have included food, medical supplies, fuel, water, tents, sheets, and other relief materials, along with 123 equipped ambulances.

Over the past weeks, Egypt and several countries, including the United States and Jordan, have collaborated to airdrop substantial amounts of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach areas in northern Gaza.

Furthermore, Egypt has received 3,764 Palestinian patients and injured individuals for treatment at Egyptian hospitals since the start of the war, accompanied by 6,191 escorts, according to Rashwan.

Egypt has also facilitated the evacuation of 66,759 foreign and dual nationals, as well as 6,330 Egyptians.

WAR, HOWEVER, CONTINUES

In recent weeks, Cairo, along with Doha and Paris, has hosted multiple rounds of talks with mediators attempting to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Efforts to secure a truce before Ramadan were unsuccessful, and with Eid Al-Fitr approaching later this week, no agreement has been reached to halt or at least pause the six months of Israeli aggression in the strip.

Israel has disregarded global calls for a cessation of the conflict in Gaza, despite a UN Security Council resolution passed in late March, which demanded an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan.

The Israeli war since October 7 has resulted in over 33,000 fatalities, nearly 76,000 injuries, and extensive damage to Gaza's infrastructure.