Cairo: The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) announced that its 226th humanitarian aid convoy, titled "Zad al Ezza... From Egypt to Gaza," entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday, July 2, 2026, carrying 4,991 tons of comprehensive humanitarian assistance. The convoy included food baskets, flour, medical supplies, relief materials, and fuel to operate hospitals and other vital facilities in the enclave.According to State Information Service Egypt, the ERC also reinforced its support for Gaza's residents by providing essential needs, including clothing and tents to shelter those affected by the conflict. The ERC maintained a continued presence at the border since the beginning of the crisis, noting that the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing has never been permanently closed and has remained on high alert across all of its logistics centers. Through the efforts of more than 65,000 volunteers, it has continued to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and relief aid, with total assistance exceeding one million t ons.Israeli forces closed the crossings connecting to the Gaza Strip on March 2, 2025, following the end of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the failure to reach a deal to extend the truce. It added that Israel resumed intensive airstrikes on March 18, 2025, effectively ending the ceasefire and re-entered by ground into various areas of Gaza from which it had previously withdrawn.The statement further said that the Israeli authorities barred the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, fuel, and shelter supplies for displaced people who had lost their homes during the war. They also refused to allow heavy equipment needed for rubble removal and reconstruction into Gaza. Humanitarian aid deliveries resumed in May 2025 under a mechanism implemented by the Israeli 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 mechanism was inconsistent with the established international syst em for aid delivery.