STORY: Egyptian aid trucks face challenges at Gaza border
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 28, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 31, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:39
LOCATION: RAFAH, Egypt
CATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of aid trucks
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): AHMAD ABDULLAH, Relief coordinator with the Egyptian Red Crescent
3. shot of the flag of Egypt
4. various of aid trucks and ambulances
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): KHALED MEGAWER, Governor of North Sinai
6. various of aid trucks

STORYLINE:

For Egyptian drivers, the journey to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza has become a grueling ordeal. They often spend more than 45 days away from their families, navigating the labyrinthine routes to bring essential supplies to those in the enclave.

On Jan. 19, the Rafah crossing was reopened from the Egyptian side as part of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. The other side of the crossing, however, has been under the control of the Israeli military since May 2024.

Before entering Gaza, aid trucks must navigate a new reality at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.

The delivery efforts are complicated by the Israeli side's continuous changes in criteria for information and for quantity and height of aid packages, Egyptian Red Crescent relief coordinator Ahmed Abdullah told Xinhua.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): AHMED ABDULLAH, Relief coordinator with the Egyptian Red Crescent
"So far, an average of 200 to 300 trucks are ready to enter Gaza daily, with the number potentially increasing based on need and the readiness of the other side to receive them. Of course, we face some challenges in our work, primarily due to changing criteria for receiving aid, which must be met and coordinated for implementation. These include shipment length, number of pallets, types of aid, and the required data."

Governor of North Sinai Khaled Megawer told Xinhua that his office has been receiving hundreds of daily calls from individuals offering to donate supplies to Gazans. The process, however, is subject to official measures to ensure that international criteria are met for the collection, listing, and packing of commodities.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): KHALED MEGAWER, Governor of North Sinai
"The Egyptian Ministry of Health, in cooperation with other ministries, has a plan to receive the wounded at Al-Arish Hospital in North Sinai and in hospitals in neighboring governorates such as Ismailia, Port Said, and Suez, as well as at the International Medical Center on the way to Cairo. Other countries will also receive the wounded."

Abdullah said that it takes a long time to sort the aid packages, list them with QR codes, and distribute them in different warehouses based on international criteria.

So far, the route into Gaza has only been designated for commodities but not for individuals. However, the need to transfer wounded people from Gazan to Egyptian hospitals has become increasingly urgent.

The United Nations Children's Fund reported in mid-January that less than half of Gaza's 36 hospitals are operational, heightening risks from infectious diseases and endangering the lives of vulnerable populations, particularly children.

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