Brussels - Cairo: Europe and the Arabs
European media in Brussels reported this morning, Sunday, citing the Egyptian official Cairo TV channel, that trucks loaded with aid are now on their way from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Reports indicate that dozens of trucks carrying tons of humanitarian aid are currently heading to the Kerem Shalom border crossing in southern Gaza.
Under the headline "Israel: Opening 'Safe Routes' for UN and Other Relief Organization Convoys," Belgian media in Brussels reported, "The Israeli army also announced that it will open 'specific safe routes' from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 'to enable the passage of UN and humanitarian aid convoys' carrying 'food and medicine through the Gaza Strip.'"
The army added in a statement, "The IDF will continue to support humanitarian efforts, in addition to its ongoing maneuvers and offensive operations against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, in order to protect Israeli civilians." The IDF is prepared to expand its activities if necessary.
The IDF declares a truce in Gaza "in non-active areas"
The IDF has declared a truce in fighting in parts of the Gaza Strip. The truce begins today, according to the IDF via Telegram. It refers to a "tactical pause in military activity, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., for humanitarian purposes." According to the IDF, the truce will begin in "currently non-active" areas: Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City, specifically areas not adjacent to Israeli territory. "This will continue daily, until further notice." The IDF said, "The decision was coordinated with the United Nations and international organizations."
Meanwhile, large parts of Gaza remain a "dangerous combat zone," according to a map distributed simultaneously by the IDF. The map designates, among other areas, the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip as areas "too dangerous to return to."
For his part, Mohammed Abu Afash, director of the Medical Relief Society in Gaza, confirmed that the flow of aid trucks entering from Egypt and Jordan will contribute to easing the situation. The suffering of the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Abu Afash said in a statement to Nile News Channel on Sunday, "For five months, only a few trucks have entered, but when these large quantities of aid enter from our brothers in Egypt and Jordan, this will help save the lives of many citizens and restore the food system within the Strip."
He expressed his hope that large quantities of humanitarian aid would continue to enter the Strip, adding that this aid is being delivered to the United Nations, which in turn distributes a large portion to Palestinian institutions and delivers it to citizens in a humanitarian manner.
Earlier today, aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, following the entry of 117 aid trucks yesterday through the Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings. Egypt continues its efforts with international organizations to bring in more trucks of humanitarian and relief aid to the Gaza Strip.