STORY: Egyptian trucks carrying aid waiting at Rafah crossing to enter besieged Gaza
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 31, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 1, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:04
LOCATION: RAFAH, Egypt
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of trucks carrying relief aid waiting at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing

STORYLINE:

Hundreds of trucks carrying relief aid have waited for days at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to enter the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians who have been deprived of fuel, food, water and medical supplies for nearly three weeks under Israeli blockades.
   
Although the number of aid-laden trucks entering Gaza has increased in recent days, the amount still falls short of the 100 truckloads of goods needed daily, according to Egyptian authorities and the United Nations (UN).
   
Since the first convoy of humanitarian aid through Rafah on Oct. 21, two weeks after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, about 250 trucks carrying tons of supplies have entered the Palestinian territory, according to Egyptian official data.
   
On Saturday, Egypt accused Israel of the delayed delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza by "creating hurdles" for convoys and imposing strict and slow-paced inspection measures.
   
Israel requires the aid convoys to be inspected first at the Israeli Nitzana Border Crossing with Egypt and then drive nearly 100 km to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing before entering Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
   
Several countries have already sent planes carrying relief aid, including Algeria, Kuwait, Iraq, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, France, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Venezuela as well as the United Nations agencies.
   
On Oct. 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities and towns along the Gaza-Israel borderline, to which Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza and punitive measures.
   
The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has killed more than 8,525 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis, according to official figures from both sides. A total of 239 people were taken hostage during the Hamas attacks, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rafah, Egypt.
(XHTV)