(CNN) — The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Saturday, two weeks after Israel imposed a blockade on the entire enclave in response to deadly attacks by Islamist militant group Hamas.
As seen by a CNN crew in the Palestinian border area, the trucks entered through the Rafah crossing, the only entry point into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. The crossing was quickly closed after 20 trucks had passed.
People on the Egyptian side of the border, where aid agencies have been waiting for days to get the green light, celebrated with cheers and chants when the crossing opened.
Hamas-controlled government press offices said the trucks were loaded with medicine, medical supplies and a small amount of canned food.
However, while the supplies are desperately needed, aid workers say they are only a fraction of what the 2.2 million people crammed into Gaza under the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt need.
Conditions have worsened by the day, with hospitals on the verge of collapse and food, water and other vital supplies quickly running out amid continued Israeli shelling.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrive Saturday, Oct. 21, in Rafah, Gaza, on the border with Egypt in the Palestinian Territory. (Credit: Ibrahim Abu Mustafa/Reuters)
The aid comes a day after the release of two American hostages from Gaza, the first since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Accommodation
Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, handed over the hostages at the border on Friday, and Judith Tai Ranan and her daughter Natalie Ranan, 17, are now on their way to being reunited with their loved ones.
For his family, the release marked the end of a nightmare that began on October 7, when members of Hamas carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, killing more than 1,400 and kidnapping dozens more before returning them to Gaza.
So far, Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza have killed at least 4,127 people, the Palestinian health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, including hundreds of women and children, even though Israel says it is only targeting Hamas sites.
“We are ready to begin this incredible journey of healing and de-trauma for her,” said Ben Ranan, Natalie’s brother.
But, he noted, this dream continues for many.
“There are families all over Gaza and Israel who are going through a loss I can’t even imagine,” he said.
Many of those Israeli families attended a ceremony in Tel Aviv this Friday in which a Shabbat table was set up with 200 empty space settings to represent the hostages. The Sabbath, a holy day of rest and reflection each week, is usually a time when Jewish families gather to eat and pray.
A Hamas spokesman said this Friday that the two American hostages were released for “humanitarian reasons” and that the US government’s claims were “false and baseless” to “prove to the American people and the world”.
While the release was welcomed by world leaders including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, those in Israel expressed skepticism about Hamas’ motivations and vowed to continue their fierce counteroffensive.
“Two of our hostages are in the house. We will not facilitate efforts to rescue all abducted and missing persons. At the same time, we will continue to fight until we win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on social media this Friday.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Major Doran Spielman told CNN on Friday that it was a “ridiculous” attempt by Hamas to “gain global support by playing that humanitarian card.”
Some have suggested the release could be an attempt by Hamas to buy time, with Israeli forces massed along the border warning Palestinians to vacate northern Gaza and speculation growing of a possible ground incursion.
Israeli officials have not publicly shared details of their plans, other than to say the goal is to eliminate Hamas and its infrastructure.
“Hamas is really under great pressure and is trying all possible tactics, and they will make many more attempts to stop the Israeli maneuver in Gaza,” said Rami Igra, a hostage and former head of the MIA division of Mossad, Israeli intelligence.
“They are trying to delay this. “They are trying to reduce the pressure on them and will do everything they can to achieve a ceasefire,” he added.
The U.S. and its allies have not discouraged this type of ground attack, but have urged Israel to be strategic and clear about its intentions while emphasizing infiltration, caution against protracted aggression, and civilian safety, U.S. officials said. And Westerners are CNN.
Aid trucks waiting at the border
Yet civilian deaths in Gaza are mounting every day, sparking outrage in the Middle East and beyond.
Already under siege by Israel and Egypt for the past 17 years, the area has become even more isolated after the latest war broke out and Israel declared a total blockade.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Saturday that the electricity blackout and fuel import ban have had “catastrophic consequences” for health systems and access to drinking water.
About 1.4 million people are displaced in Gaza, more than 60% of the population of 2 million.
More than 544,000 people are staying in “increasingly dire conditions” in emergency shelters designated by the United Nations, and many of them are at risk of contracting infectious diseases from contaminated water, OCHA added in its report.
Earlier this week Egypt agreed to allow first-aid trucks into Gaza via the Rafah crossing — the entry point to the enclave not controlled by Israel — but the opening has been delayed, hampered by frustrated aid systems. the light
But the 20 trucks that entered Gaza this Saturday, desperately needed, are not enough for the scale of the crisis.
“The aid program to Gaza needs an increase of 100 trucks a day,” UN assistant chief Martin Griffiths told CNN. “We have to be confident that we can do it every day, intentionally, repeatedly and reliably.”
UN for Palestinian refugees Tamara Alrifai, director of communications for the aid agency, echoed the sentiment: “Aid needs to continue. “It’s not about exporting 20 trucks one time and then nothing.”
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