RAFAH (AP): The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened on Saturday (Oct 21) to let desperately needed humanitarian aid flow to Palestinians for the first time since Israel sealed off the territory two weeks ago.
Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians, half of whom have fled their homes, are rationing food and drinking filthy water. Hospitals say they are running low on medical supplies and fuel for emergency generators amid a territory-wide power blackout.
Israel has also launched waves of airstrikes across Gaza.
The opening came after more than a week of high-level diplomacy by various mediators, including visits to the region by US President Joe Biden and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tonnes of aid had been positioned near the crossing for days. But Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera news, which is close to security agencies, said just 20 trucks had crossed into Gaza on Saturday.
Hundreds of foreign passport holders also waited to cross from Gaza to Egypt to escape the conflict.
The Hamas-led government in Gaza said the limited convoy "will not be able to change the humanitarian catastrophe that Gaza is currently enduring,” calling for a secure corridor operating around the clock. - AP
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