Rafah: Aid convoys began entering the Gaza Strip Thursday, December 25, 2025, via the secondary gate of the Rafah Land Port in North Sinai Governorate, heading toward Karam Abu Salem Crossing in preparation for their entry into the Strip. A responsible source at the Rafah Crossing stated that the trucks, part of the 102nd convoy of 'Zad Al-Ezza from Egypt to Gaza,' are carrying various essential food supplies, alongside relief assistance such as blankets, quilts, and shelter tents. The convoy also includes trucks loaded with petroleum derivatives needed to operate vital facilities inside the Gaza Strip.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the 'Zad Al-Ezza from Egypt to Gaza' convoy, launched by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) on July 27, comprises thousands of tons of aid, including food supplies, flour, infant formula, medical supplies, therapeutic medicines, and tons of fuel. Israeli occupation forces have closed the crossings linking the Gaza Strip since March 2, following the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the failure to reach an agreement to consolidate the ceasefire. The truce was violated with intense airstrikes on March 18, followed by renewed ground incursions into various areas of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces had previously withdrawn.
Israeli occupation forces also prevented the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, fuel, and shelter supplies for displaced persons who lost their homes due to the war on Gaza and refused to allow the entry of heavy equipment needed for rubble removal and reconstruction. In May, the occupation authorities allowed limited quantities of aid to enter, insufficient to meet the minimum needs of the population of the Strip, under a mechanism implemented in cooperation with an American security company. This was despite the rejection of the United Nations (UN), other relief organizations, and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as it contravenes established international mechanisms in this regard.
The ERC has been present as a national mechanism to coordinate and organize the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the crisis in October 2023. Rafah Border Crossing has not been completely closed during this period, and the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) continues to maintain full preparedness at all its logistics centers, pursuing sustained efforts to deliver aid with the support of 35,000 volunteers.