RAFAH, Egypt: Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel visited the Rafah border crossing from the Egyptian side, expressing hope that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan would help reopen the terminal fully and ease the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
According to a report by Anadolu news agency, van Weel toured the crossing where thousands of trucks loaded with food and medical supplies have been stranded for weeks, awaiting permission to enter the besieged enclave. Egypt’s state-run MENA agency said the minister received a briefing from North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer and Red Crescent officials on the humanitarian situation.
Praise for Egypt’s mediation efforts
At a press conference at Rafah, van Weel voiced “deep concern” over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commended Egypt’s central role in facilitating aid delivery and medical evacuations.
He hoped Trump’s plan would “improve conditions on the ground and reopen the crossing from the Palestinian side to allow smoother aid flow.”
Van Weel also visited El Arish General Hospital, where injured Palestinians are receiving treatment, and inspected logistics hubs at El Arish Airport, which has handled over 1,030 aid flights carrying 27,000 tons of relief supplies since the war began two years ago. The port of El Arish has likewise received multiple ships carrying thousands of tons of humanitarian goods bound for Gaza.
Trump’s plan and ongoing ceasefire talks
Earlier in Cairo, the Dutch foreign minister described Trump’s 20-point proposal as a “historic opportunity” to end the Gaza war.
His visit coincided with the indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians — most of them women and children — and displaced millions, leaving the enclave on the brink of famine and disease.
