A high-level UN delegation visits Al-Arish and the Rafah crossing in Egypt to follow up on the delivery of aid to Gaza

The delegation included the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, the Director of the Regional Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Middle East and North Africa in Cairo, the Head of the Representative Office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Cairo, and representatives of the World Food Programme.

Elena Panova, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, stressed that the United Nations’ primary mission is to provide support to those in need of assistance, noting that “Cooperation with the Egyptian government, the Egyptian Red Crescent, and the Governor of North Sinai is in full swing to support the delivery of basic humanitarian aid, with our full commitment to ongoing coordination and support on the ground.”

Panova added: “With the humanitarian situation inside Gaza reaching catastrophic levels, the ceasefire represents a golden opportunity to alleviate the enormous suffering caused by this conflict by enhancing the delivery of aid to the Strip through all possible means to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those most in need.”

According to a press release issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Egypt, since October 2023, the Egyptian Red Crescent has been leading the coordination of the delivery of humanitarian aid from Egypt through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, where it plays a vital role in facilitating the safe and efficient transportation of essential supplies.

The United Nations in Egypt works closely with the Egyptian Red Crescent, local authorities and international partners. The humanitarian supplies that enter Gaza through Egypt are provided from local and international sources, and the supplies are provided through Egyptian sea and air ports before being transported to the city of Al-Arish, where they are subject to examination, inspection and coordination at the Egyptian Red Crescent’s logistical center, and from there they are sent into the Gaza Strip. .