Humanitarian aid piles up in Egypt as Rafah crossing remains shut

Food, medicine, water purifiers, hygiene products, and blankets have been piling in Egypt’s Sinai region at El Arish airport, which even opened an extra landing strip to cope with deliveries.

Rafah, the border crossing into Gaza that Egypt had promised to open, is a few dozen kilometres to the east. And it remains closed as of Friday morning.

The Rafah border is the only crossing into the blockaded Palestinian territory that is not controlled by Israel. Latest reports now say it could open on Saturday but several previous efforts to open the crossing for humanitarian reasons have gone unfulfilled.

On a visit to Cairo, UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that there needs to be “rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access” after dire warnings about the effects of the sustained Israeli blockade.

Guterres said the Rafah crossing and El Arish airport “are not only critical, they are our only hope” and “lifelines” for the people of Gaza.