RAFAH, Palestinian Territories—The first of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip on Saturday through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, said Agence France-Presse correspondents on both sides.
Earlier, the group Hamas released two American hostages held in Gaza, offering a “sliver of hope” to desperate families, as Israel pounded the densely-populated territory where millions waited for promised aid deliveries on Saturday.
The fate of the hostages has been shrouded in uncertainty, so the release of mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan offered a rare “sliver of hope”, said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
US President Joe Biden said he was “overjoyed” by the release, which comes days after he visited Israel to express solidarity with the wounded country and press for humanitarian aid into Gaza.
United Nations humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said he was “confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies… to the people of Gaza” and warned that “this first convoy must not be the last”.
The border crossing was closed again after the passage of the trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering the aid, including food and medical supplies from various UN agencies.
It was the first such delivery since the war broke out more than two weeks ago between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist militant movement which rules the Palestinian enclave of 2.4 million people.
Rafah is the only route into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, which agreed to allow the aid in from Egypt following a request from its top ally the United States.
Israel has been bombing Gaza since Hamas’ bloody surprise attack of October 7 and has also declared a total siege, cutting off most water as well as food, electricity, fuel and other supplies.
Hamas militants stormed into Israel from Gaza and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.
Since then, more than 4,100 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed in relentless Israeli bombardments, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the aid passage as “an important first step that will alleviate the suffering of innocent people”.
‘A lifeline’
Cargo planes and trucks have been bringing humanitarian aid to the Egyptian side of Rafah for days, but so far none had been delivered to Gaza.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday visited the Egyptian side of the crossing to oversee preparations for the aid delivery.
“These trucks are not just trucks, they are a lifeline,” he said. “They are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza.”
The UN chief said it must be “a sustained effort” with not just one convoy crossing but for many “to be authorized in a meaningful number to have enough trucks to provide support to Gaza’s people”.
“It is essential to have fuel on the other side… to be able to distribute humanitarian aid for the population in Gaza,” Guterres said, warning against the use of aid deliveries as “bargaining chips”.
Israel worries that any fuel brought into Gaza could be used by Hamas to manufacture weapons and explosives.
The UN World Food Programme said the convoy included three trucks carrying 60 metric tons of emergency food, including canned tuna, wheat flour, pasta, canned beans and canned tomato paste.
The UN World Health Organization said it had sent supplies including trauma medicines for the stabilization of injured patients, basic essential medicines and drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases.
US President Joe Biden had pushed for the trucks to be allowed to pass, during a solidarity visit to Israel on Wednesday.
He has said the first 20 trucks will be a test of a system for distributing aid without allowing Hamas to benefit, with UN agencies set to distribute it on the Gaza side of the border.
Biden warned that, if Hamas “doesn’t let it get through or just confiscates it, then it’s going to end”.
Biden said Friday he believes the attack was motivated partly by Saudi Arabia’s plan to recognize Israel.
Israel’s military campaign has levelled entire city blocks in Gaza, killing 4,137 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli troops are massed on the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion that officials have pledged will begin “soon”.
But a full-blown land offensive carries many risks, including to the hostages from Israel and around the world held by Hamas.
‘Overwhelming sense of joy’
Biden said he had spoken to the released pair and promised US support “as they recover from this terrible ordeal”.
He thanked Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ political bureau, for its mediation in securing the release, and said he was working “around the clock” to win the return of other Americans being held.
Natalie Raanan’s half-brother Ben told the BBC he felt an “overwhelming sense of joy” at the release after “the most horrible of ordeals”.
Hamas said Egypt and Qatar had negotiated the release and it was “working with all mediators to implement the movement’s decision to close the civilian (hostage) file if appropriate security conditions allow”.
Israel’s military said Friday “the majority” of those abducted are still alive, while traumatised families demanded more action.
“Absolutely nothing has been done,” Assaf Shem Tov, whose nephew was abducted from a music festival, said Friday.
“We ask humanity to interfere and bring back all those young boys, young girls, mothers, babies.”
In Gaza, Israeli jets continued a relentless bombing campaign, with the military saying it hit more than 100 Hamas targets overnight.