CAIRO: New aid flights arrived on Saturday in Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, where relief materials are being held until safe delivery into the nearby Gaza can be secured, an official from the Red Crescent said.
Egypt says its side of the Rafah crossing that connects Sinai Peninsula with the Gaza Strip remains open, though traffic has been halted for several days due to Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border.
A senior US State Department official said the United States had been working with Israel, Egypt, and Qatar to open the crossing on Saturday.
The official said that Washington had been in contact with Palestinian-Americans inside Gaza, some of whom wanted to leave via Rafah.
The crossing is the main exit point for the Gaza’s 2.3 million residents that is not controlled by Israel.
Israel’s military spokesperson said on Saturday that the border remains closed and any crossing to Egypt required to be coordinated with Israel.
Read Also: Saudi FM Prince Faisal Discusses Gaza Situation with Chinese Counterpart
Two assistance flights, including one from Turkiye, arrived at Sinai’s Al Arish airport, nearly 45 km (28 miles) from the Gaza border, bringing the total number of planes that have landed this week carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza to at least five, the Red Cross official and the aid volunteer said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said a plane carrying health supplies and trauma medicines had landed.
WHO for speedy aid delivery
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement that every hour these supplies remain on the Egyptian side of the border, more boys and girls, men and women, particularly those vulnerable or disabled, will die.
Like other Arab countries, it has said that Palestinians should stay on their lands as the war intensifies, and that it is working to secure delivery of assistance into the Gaza Strip.
