Gaza aid deliveries restart from Egypt via Kerem Shalom crossing

Cairo: Badly needed aid to the Gaza Strip started coming from Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing for the first time in nearly three weeks on Sunday, an Egyptian TV station reported.

The state-affiliated al-Qahera News TV said 200 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were moving from outside the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, heading to the Karm Abu Salem crossing or Kerem Shalom.

According to the broadcaster, these included four fuel trucks and began moving through Karen Shalom.

Earlier this month, Israel took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah, crossing with Egypt, in an operation that halted aid deliveries via the vital facility into the heavily populated strip.

Since the closure of the Rafah crossing, Egypt has indicated it will not coordinate aid transports through Rafah until the Israeli forces withdraw.

Hamas has recently attacked the Kerem Shalom crossing and Israeli settlements with rockets.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi agreed on aid deliveries to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Egypt, in a temporary arrangement, will hand over humanitarian aid and fuel to the United Nations at the crossing until a legal mechanism is reached to reopen the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, an Egyptian presidency statement said.