Egypt says it will send humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing

Egypt has agreed to start sending United Nations humanitarian aid trucks through Israel’s main crossing into Gaza, but at this point it’s unclear if they can enter into the southern city of Rafah as Israel's offensive against Hamas ramps up. 

Ever since the Rafah crossing into Egypt was taken over by Israel, it has been inoperative, while the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel has stayed open, according to The Associated Press.

Israel said it has been sending trucks across the port of entry, but because of the ongoing war the U.N. says it can’t reach Kerem Shalom, according to The Hill. 

While the U.N. said it has only received 143 trucks in the last 19 days, Israeli officials point to hundreds of trucks of aid that have been sitting in Gaza waiting to be retrieved by a humanitarian group.

Instead, the U.N. has had to deliver aid from the newly built U.S. pier and a northern Gaza border crossing. 

The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has been heating up with the United Nations weighing in on different aspects of the war. 

Recently, the United Nations court ordered Israel to "immediately halt" its military offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza.

Israel must "immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part," said International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam.

Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, responded, saying “The State of Israel embarked on a just and necessary campaign after a brutal terrorist organization massacred our citizens, raped our women, kidnapped our children and fired missiles at our city centers,” adding that Israel is “obligated to continue fighting to return its hostages and ensure the safety of its citizens, at any time and place — including in Rafah,” according to The Times of Israel. 

He added that Israel would “continue to act according to international law in Rafah and wherever we operate, and make an effort to avoid harming the civilian population. Not because of The Hague tribunal but first of all because of who we are.”

Hamas is currently holding about 125 hostages since its Oct. 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the death of approximately 1,200 people.