Rafah: The 220th convoy of humanitarian aid trucks, under the banner "Zad Al-Ezzah... From Egypt to Gaza," began entering the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, through the auxiliary gate of Rafah Land Port en route to the Karam Abu Salem crossing, in preparation for delivery into the enclave as part of Egypt's ongoing efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis affecting more than two million Palestinians.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the convoy is carrying large quantities of food and relief assistance, including food supplies and baskets, flour, fresh bread, legumes, preserved foods, medicines, personal care items, tents, clothing, and petroleum products.
The Israeli forces had closed the crossings linking the Gaza Strip on March 2, 2025, following the expiration of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the failure to reach a deal to sustain the truce. The ceasefire was subsequently breached by intensive airstrikes on March 18, 2025, followed by renewed ground incursions into various areas of Gaza from which Israeli forces had previously withdrawn.
The occupation authorities also barred the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, fuel, and shelter supplies for displaced persons who lost their homes during the war on Gaza, while refusing to allow the entry of heavy equipment needed for rubble removal and reconstruction. Aid deliveries resumed in May 2025 under a mechanism implemented by the occupation authorities and a US security company, despite objections from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which said the arrangement did not comply with established international procedures.
The Israeli military later announced a temporary 10-hour humanitarian pause on July 27, 2025, suspending military operations in parts of Gaza to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Mediators-Egypt, Qatar, and the United States-continued efforts to secure a comprehensive ceasefire agreement and a prisoner-hostage exchange deal in Gaza.
These efforts culminated in an agreement reached in the early hours of October 9, 2025, between Hamas and Israel on the first phase of a ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump in Sharm El-Sheikh, through Egyptian, American, and Qatari mediation, with Turkish support. The second phase of the agreement entered into force on February 2, 2026, following the completion of prisoner and detainee exchanges and the handover of the remains of the last Israeli detainee under the first phase.
The agreement allowed Palestinians to return to the Gaza Strip and enabled injured and wounded individuals to leave for treatment in Egyptian hospitals after the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing was reopened.