CAIRO – 4 August 2024: Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan visited North Sinai and toured the Rafah border crossing and Al-Arish port on Sunday during his official visit to Egypt.
The Rafah crossing has been a crucial point for delivering aid from various world countries and international agencies to Gaza since the onset of the Israeli war in the enclave on October 7.
After Israeli forces assumed control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on May 7, aid shipments through this vital passage halted.
An Egyptian high-level source has restated the country’s unwavering position, emphasizing the requirement for Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing as a crucial condition for reopening the crossing.
However, Egyptian humanitarian aid convoys later entered Gaza after being redirected to Israel's Karm Abu Salem crossing, following an agreement between Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and US President Joe Biden.
North Sinai Governor Khaled Mogawer welcomed Fidan and Turkish Ambassador to Cairo, Salih Mutlu Şen, during the visit.
Mogawer highlighted that the governorate continues to receive aid destined for Gaza from Arab and other countries, as well as from regional and international organizations.
This aid arrives through three channels: ground transportation via trucks, sea transport via the Al Arish port, and air transport via the El-Arish International Airport, the governor noted.
The received aid is stored in well-equipped logistics warehouses before being transferred to Gaza in collaboration with the Egyptian Red Crescent, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he said.
Fidan expressed gratitude for Egypt's role in facilitating the reception and delivery of aid to Gaza, confirming that Turkey has supplied hundreds of tons of humanitarian and relief assistance to the enclave through Egypt.
The Turkish foreign minister emphasized the shared stance of Egypt and Turkey on the imperative need to end the war in Gaza and establish peace in the region through a two-state solution.
The war in Gaza has persisted for 10 months. Israeli airstrikes across the strip, even in designated "safe zones," have killed 39,583 individuals and injured 91,398, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Additionally, Gaza has experienced extensive destruction of vital infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and essential facilities, heightening the region's susceptibility to an imminent famine.
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