Five heavy equipment vehicles enter Gaza Strip through Rafah Crossing for first time

Local Palestinian sources confirmed the movement of several debris-clearing vehicles from the Egyptian side of the crossing towards Kerem Shalom, and from there into Gaza. However, the fate of the mobile homes remains unclear.

Earlier, Israel announced an agreement stipulating the release of four bodies of deceased Israelis on Thursday, in exchange for allowing the entry of heavy equipment and mobile homes into the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, the total number of humanitarian aid and relief trucks that entered the Gaza Strip on Monday reached 290, including 23 trucks carrying fuel and gas.

The Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted an official source at the Rafah border crossing in North Sinai Governorate, Egypt, stating that the aid trucks were allowed into Gaza after undergoing inspection at the Kerem Shalom and Al-Auja border crossings in the southeastern part of the Strip.

In a related context, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty met with the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, to discuss preparations for the upcoming Gaza reconstruction conference.

The conference, organised by Egypt in cooperation with the UN, international partners, and financial institutions, aims to accelerate recovery efforts in Gaza.

The meeting between the two sides took place on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the international alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution in Cairo.

Abdelatty stressed the urgent need to launch Gaza early recovery and reconstruction projects. He outlined Egypt's detailed timeline for implementation and the various phases of the Gaza recovery plan.

The minister also listened to Kaag's assessment of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and her latest international engagements. He reaffirmed Egypt's position on ensuring safe and continuous humanitarian aid access to Gaza. (ANI/WAM)