The leaders of the European institutions celebrated this Saturday the opening of the Rafah border crossing to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, calling it an “important first step” to provide assistance on the ground.
“I welcome the opening of the Rafah border post for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. This is an important first step to alleviate the suffering of innocent people. My thanks to everyone who made this possible,” wrote the president of the European Commission, Ursula. von der Leyen, on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Along the same lines, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, highlighted the efforts made by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, the Red Crescent, the World Health Organization, the World Food Program and UNICEF.
“We must take advantage of these positive measures to urgently bring humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable civilians,” added Charles Michel.
The High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, considered that “the sustained provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population is crucial to provide a lifeline to innocent people.”
The Rafah border post, which connects the Sinai Peninsula in northern Egypt with the Gaza Strip, opened today to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Palestinian enclave.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that 20 trucks with food, water and medicine entered Gaza today through the Rafah crossing – the only one not controlled by Israel – but there are around 200 trucks waiting step.
The opening of the Rafah crossing comes on the same day that Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, 50 kilometers southeast of Cairo, hosts an international summit led by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and attended by several world leaders.
Among the participants are the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres; Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; the king of Jordan, Abdullah II; and Pedro Sánchez, the interim prime minister of Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU.
The conflict has already caused thousands of deaths and injuries, between soldiers and civilians, in both territories.
Source: TSF
