Rafah: The 267th "Zad Al-Ezza" convoy of humanitarian aid trucks from Egypt to Gaza resumed entry into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, August 30, 2026, through the secondary gate of the Rafah Border Crossing, heading toward the Karem Shalom crossing, after a two-day pause over the weekend.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the convoy's trucks are carrying large quantities of food and relief supplies, including foodstuffs and food baskets, flour, fresh bread, legumes, canned food, medicines, personal-care items, tents, clothing, and fuel.
The Egyptian Red Crescent has maintained a presence along the border since the start of the crisis. The Rafah crossing was never fully closed on the Egyptian side, and the organization has continued to remain on alert at all logistics centers, pursuing ongoing efforts to deliver humanitarian and relief aid with the support of more than 75,000 volunteers.
Israeli forces closed crossings linking the Gaza Strip with the outside world on March 2, 2025, following the conclusion of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the failure to reach an agreement on consolidating the truce. The ceasefire was subsequently breached by heavy airstrikes on March 18, 2025, followed by renewed ground incursions into areas of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces had previously withdrawn.
Israeli forces also prevented the entry of humanitarian aid and fuel trucks, as well as shelter supplies for Palestinians displaced by the war who had lost their homes, and refused to allow entry of the heavy equipment needed to clear rubble and undertake reconstruction in the Strip.
Israeli military authorities announced a 10-hour "temporary truce" on Sunday, July 27, 2025, suspending military operations in parts of the Gaza Strip to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar, and the United States continued efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement covering Gaza and to secure the exchange of prisoners and detainees. 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 under a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump, concluded in Sharm El-Sheikh with Egyptian, US, and Qatari mediation and Turkish support.
The second phase of the agreement took effect on Monday, February 2, 2026, following completion of the prisoner and detainee exchange and the handover of the remains of the last Israeli detainee under the first phase. Implementation of the second phase allowed Palestinians to enter the Gaza Strip and injured Palestinians to leave the Strip for treatment at Egyptian hospitals, following the opening of the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing.