Cairo, October 15: A plane carrying vital medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) has successfully landed at Egypt’s El Arish airport in the Sinai Peninsula, according to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
Khaled Zayed, head of the North Sinai branch of the Egyptian Red Crescent, confirmed on Saturday that they are providing urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza via land route, in coordination with the Palestine Red Crescent.
Gaza has been under complete siege by Israeli forces since October 9, following a surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which rules Gaza. The ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel has resulted in a large number of casualties on both sides.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the dispatch of aircraft to El Arish airport to meet urgent health needs in Gaza. He expressed readiness to deploy supplies as soon as humanitarian access through the crossing is established.
On Friday, Israel issued a warning to more than one million residents in northern Gaza to evacuate towards the southern part of the territory before launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas. The WHO chief, in a post on the social media platform X, appealed to Israel to reconsider the withdrawal decision, highlighting the potential humanitarian tragedy.
Israel’s mass evacuation order was rejected by various countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, as well as regional and international organizations such as the Arab League and the United Nations.
Since Thursday, Egypt’s El Arish airport has received planes carrying aid supplies to Gaza from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, reflecting international efforts to provide aid in this challenging humanitarian situation.
