Cairo: The 279th convoy of humanitarian aid trucks, 'Zad Al-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza' began entering the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, via Rafah Border Crossing heading toward the Karam Abu Salem crossing in preparation for delivering the aid into the enclave. The convoy is part of Egypt's ongoing efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where more than two million Palestinians are living.

According to State Information Service Egypt, a North Sinai official stated that the 279th batch of humanitarian and relief aid trucks, as part of the Zad Al-Ezza convoy, departed from in front of the Rafah Border Crossing and headed toward the Karam Abu Salem crossing south of Rafah. The trucks are transporting a range of humanitarian and relief supplies, including food items and food baskets, flour, fresh bread, legumes, canned food, medicines, personal-care supplies, tents, clothing, and fuel.

The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) has maintained a presence along the border since the beginning of the crisis. The Rafah Border Crossing has never been completely closed from the Egyptian side, while the organization has continued to remain on alert at all logistical centers and to make ongoing efforts to deliver humanitarian and relief assistance, with the participation of more than 75,000 volunteers.

Israeli forces closed the crossings connecting the Gaza Strip on March 2, 2025, following the end of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the failure to reach an agreement to consolidate the ceasefire. The truce was breached by heavy airstrikes on March 18, 2025, followed by renewed ground incursions into various areas of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces had previously withdrawn.