The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) has embarked on a mission to supply 50 thousand meals to Gaza daily, with meals being prepared and packaged on the Egyptian side for distribution through the Rafah crossing.
Khaled Zayed, ERC’s director in North Sinai, announced this initiative in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), as reported by Youm7 news website on Tuesday 23/1/2024.
Zayed highlighted that a fully equipped kitchen is under construction in Sheikh Zuweid City, North Sinai, for the meal supply operation. ERC volunteers will facilitate the transfer of meals to the Gaza Strip in cooperation with PRCS, he noted.
He indicated that the second phase of constructing ERC’s refugee relief camp in Khan Younis, Gaza, is ongoing.
The first phase concluded with the setup of 1,000 tents capable of accommodating around 6,000 people.
Additionally, he mentioned that ERC teams are actively involved in the daily operations of setting up and managing the camp, including receiving and housing disp
laced individuals.
The PRCS reported that the refugee relief camp has already provided accommodation for 190 families.
ERC volunteer teams maintain a daily presence between Egypt and Gaza to deliver aid, offering psychological support to wounded individuals of foreign nationalities in Gaza. Similar support is extended to wounded individuals receiving medical care in Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, Bir Al-Abd, and the designated medical care centre for wounded Palestinians.
In light of the challenging conditions imposed by the Israeli blockade and ruthless war on Gaza, the World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 2.2 million people in Gaza face crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.
As of 7 October, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that 1.9 million people in Gaza have been internally displaced, constituting 85 percent of the population.
Egypt has been actively addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by receiving 501 aid planes at Arish airport since 12 October 2023, c
arrying various humanitarian assistance.
In mid-January, Chairman of Egypt’s State Information Service Diaa Rashwan stated that 9,000 trucks have crossed from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to Gaza, revealing that private and public Egyptian contributions constitute 82 percent of all aid delivered to Gaza.
In terms of casualties, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza reported that at least 25,490 people have been killed and 63,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the war began on 7 October.
Source: State Information Service Egypt
