On Friday, Egypt announced that it has agreed to allow UN humanitarian aid trucks to pass through Israel's main crossing into Gaza.However, the situation remains uncertain as the fighting intensifies in the southern city of Rafah due to Israel's escalating offensive.
Three additional hostages who lost their lives on October 7 were discovered in Gaza overnight, according to a statement from Israel's army on Friday. A high-ranking official from the CIA recently held a meeting in Paris with representatives from Israel and Qatar.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and explore options for restarting negotiations aimed at achieving a cease-fire and securing the release of hostages.
Egypt Agrees to Allow UN Aid Into Gaza
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened significantly since the start of Israel's Rafah offensive over two weeks ago, with reports from the UN and aid agencies indicating a sharp decline in the entry of essential supplies, including food.
On Friday, the International Court of Justice issued a directive for Israel to cease the Rafah offensive. However, it is doubtful that Israel will adhere to this order.
Israeli forces have taken control of the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which has been non-functional for some time. The Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza has remained open, with Israel reporting a steady flow of hundreds of trucks entering it daily.
However, despite the successful crossing of commercial trucks, the UN faces a significant challenge in accessing Kerem Shalom to collect aid due to the ongoing fighting in the area, which poses a serious safety risk.
In the past 19 days, the UN has received a mere 143 trucks from the crossing, according to reports. Israeli officials claim that there are hundreds of truckloads waiting on the Gaza side of the crossing, untouched and unclaimed.
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Aid Workers Warn About Situation in Gaza
According to AP News, humanitarian organizations are working urgently to provide food assistance to the Palestinian population, as nearly one million individuals are forced to leave Rafah and seek refuge in various parts of central and southern Gaza.
Aid workers issue a grave warning about the dire situation in Gaza, where the threat of famine looms large. The main UN agency in the humanitarian effort, UNRWA, was forced to suspend food distribution in Rafah city due to a depletion of supplies.
The Egyptian announcement seemed to address a political challenge on one side of the border. Israel has stated that it has maintained the operation of the Rafah crossing and has requested Egypt's cooperation in facilitating the passage of aid convoys.
Egypt declined the offer, expressing concerns about the long-term Israeli control and instead insisted on returning the facility to Palestinian authority.
Peace negotiations came to a standstill earlier this month despite intense efforts by the US and other mediators to reach an agreement, aiming to prevent an Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah.
The negotiations hit a major obstacle as Hamas insists on assurances that the conflict will cease and Israeli forces will fully withdraw from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages. However, Israel has rejected this demand, Fox News reported.
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