UN Chief Guterres visits Rafah border crossing, pushes for aid to move into Gaza

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterreson Friday (Oct 20)visited the Rafah border crossing and said that the trucks loaded with aid for Gaza should move into the conflict-torn region as soon as possible from Egypt to alleviate a humanitarian crisis.

Guterres flew to Egypt to oversee preparations for the delivery of aid.

"These trucks are not just trucks - they are a lifeline, they are the difference between life and death to many people in Gaza," he said, speaking on the Egyptian side of the crossing.

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"To see them stuck here makes me very clear - what we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of this wall to make them move as quickly as possible and as many as possible," he added.

He said it must be "a sustained effort" with not just one convoy crossing but for many "to be authorised in a meaningful number to have enough trucks to provide support to Gaza's people".

Guterres also called for a swift system of verification of the aid shipments.

"We are now actively engaging with all the parties, actively engaging with Egypt, with Israel, with the US, in order to make sure that we are able to clarify those conditions...in order to have as soon as possible these trucks moving to where they are needed," he said.

EU says two flights of Gaza aid land in Egypt

The European Union, on Friday (Oct 20), said that two flights carrying 54 tonnes of aid for Gaza had landed in Egypt and were ready for delivery to Gaza once access was possible.

The aid included water, food, shelter and sanitary materials and would be distributed by the Egyptian Red Cross, an EU Commission spokesperson told a news briefing.

"Overall, we are talking about 54 tonnes of humanitarian supplies. This includes water, This includes food, shelter, hygiene items and sanitary materials. Now in terms of these 54 tonnes, we are going to work through the Egyptian Red Cross," said the EU Commission spokesperson.

On Thursday (Oct 19), truckloads of aid carrying food and medical supplies designated for Gaza remained on the Egyptian side of the border after United States President Joe Biden struck a deal with Israel to allow relief into the war-torn region.

Biden, during his visit to Tel Aviv on Wednesday (Oct 19), said that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had agreed to "let up to 20 trucks through, to begin with," to the heavily bombarded Gaza Strip, starting Friday, giving authorities time to repair roads.

(With inputs from agencies)

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