On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, a new humanitarian convoy from Egypt began making its way into the Gaza Strip, carrying urgently needed food and medical supplies for a population beset by war, hunger, and relentless hardship. According to an official at the Rafah land port, the “Zad El Ezza… From Egypt to Gaza” convoy—now in its 18th consecutive day—crossed through the sub-gate of Rafah, headed toward the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, where Israeli forces would inspect the trucks before allowing entry. The convoy, coordinated by the Egyptian Red Crescent, included trucks packed with essential food baskets—sugar, oil, legumes, baby formula, flour, rice—as well as medical supplies and personal items, all intended for Gaza’s embattled civilians.
This latest delivery is part of a wider and ongoing Egyptian effort to provide relief to Gaza. Since July 27, thousands of aid trucks have crossed the border, bringing vital food and relief support to a population in crisis. Just in the past week, including the day prior to this latest convoy, shipments carried approximately 2,400 tons of essential supplies—2,300 tons of food and flour, and over 100 tons of medical and relief materials. The Egyptian Red Crescent, present at the border since the beginning of the conflict, has played a central role as the national mechanism for coordinating and facilitating aid into Gaza. Their efforts have enabled the entry of over 36,000 trucks loaded with nearly half a million tons of humanitarian and relief aid, with the help of a staggering 35,000 volunteers.
But these deliveries, crucial as they are, come against a grim backdrop. The Gaza Health Ministry reported on August 18 that at least 62,004 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. In the 24 hours preceding that report, 60 people lost their lives and 344 were injured, bringing the total number of injuries to 156,230. The ministry also noted five new deaths from starvation and malnutrition—including two children—raising the total number of famine-related deaths since October 2023 to 263, with children accounting for 112 of those lost.
Rescue efforts in Gaza remain desperately hampered. Many victims are still trapped beneath the rubble or lying on the streets, unreachable by emergency teams due to relentless Israeli bombardment and a dire lack of equipment. Since March 18, when Israel resumed its military campaign after breaking a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, 10,460 Palestinians have been killed and 44,189 injured, according to the Health Ministry.
Access to humanitarian aid itself has become perilous. In the 24 hours before August 18, 27 people were killed and 281 injured while attempting to access desperately needed food and supplies. Since May 27, Israeli forces have killed 1,965 Palestinians and injured 14,701 others during their attempts to reach humanitarian aid, the ministry reports. The blockade imposed by Israel, which has fully sealed Gaza since early March, has led to catastrophic conditions for the territory’s 2.4 million residents—famine, rampant disease, and the collapse of essential services are now the norm, not the exception.
According to Anadolu, the blockade has also prevented the entry of fuel, shelter supplies, and the heavy equipment necessary for rubble removal and reconstruction. Aid deliveries to Gaza resumed only last May, via a mechanism implemented by Israeli authorities and a U.S. security company. This new process was rejected by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which criticized it for violating established international procedures. Despite these hurdles, the Egyptian Red Crescent and its partners have persisted, keeping the Rafah land port open and operational on the Egyptian side, and maintaining logistical readiness to facilitate the flow of aid.
“The Rafah land port has never been permanently closed on the Egyptian side,” an official source emphasized, highlighting the ongoing Egyptian commitment to Gaza’s civilian population. The Egyptian Red Crescent’s 35,000 volunteers, working around the clock at logistical centers, have ensured that aid keeps moving, even as the situation on the ground grows ever more dire.
Meanwhile, the broader conflict continues to rage. Israeli forces closed the crossings into Gaza on March 2, after the first phase of a ceasefire agreement ended without a permanent truce. The truce was shattered by heavy aerial bombardment on March 18, and ground forces re-entered areas they had previously withdrawn from. The violence and blockade have turned everyday life in Gaza into a struggle for survival.
International efforts to broker peace and provide relief have so far yielded little lasting progress. On July 27, the Israeli army announced a “temporary truce” for 10 hours, suspending military operations in certain areas to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States continue to press for a ceasefire agreement and a new prisoner exchange, but the prospects remain uncertain and the needs on the ground are immediate.
The legal and diplomatic fallout from the conflict has also escalated. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel now faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in the enclave, a sign of the mounting international scrutiny and condemnation.
For Gaza’s residents, however, the legal battles and diplomatic maneuvering are distant concerns compared to the daily struggle for food, water, and safety. The statistics are staggering: over 62,000 dead, more than 156,000 injured, hundreds of deaths from starvation, and a blockade that shows little sign of easing. Aid convoys like “Zad El Ezza” offer a lifeline, but the scale of need far outstrips the supply.
As the trucks from Egypt roll across the border, carrying food, medicine, and a glimmer of hope, the question remains: will the world do more to address the root causes of Gaza’s suffering, or will these convoys remain a fragile bandage on a wound that refuses to heal?
For now, the people of Gaza wait—for aid, for peace, and for a future where survival is not a daily battle.
