Israel bars Iranian humanitarian aid for Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah Crossing

Israeli authorities have reportedly called upon Egyptian officials to turn away the 60 tons of humanitarian aid that Iran had sent to the Northeast African country to be transferred to the besieged Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing.

Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network, citing political sources speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that Egyptian officials have extended apologies to Iranians that they cannot receive any Iranian aid destined for the Strip due to the Israeli regime’s refusal to allow it to pass through the crossing.

The aid consignment included food, medical supplies and medicines, according to a report by the Iranian state-run television on October 20.

The aid was sent from the Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA), situated 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southwest of the Iranian capital city of Tehran, to Egypt in coordination with the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).

Last week, the Head of the IRCS, Pir-Hossein Kolivand, expressed Iran’s readiness to send humanitarian aid and relief shipments to Egypt to help the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Kolivand contacted his Egyptian counterpart Rami al-Nazer and underlined the need for “continuing support for the oppressed people of Gaza,” stressing Iran’s readiness to dispatch humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave via Egypt.

Pointing to the scarcity of fuel to operate generators at Gaza’s hospitals, Kolivand noted that the Iranian Red Crescent Society was prepared to send the necessary fuel, emphasizing that the move would solve energy problems at the medical facilities and help the wounded.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), in a statement on Sunday, said the al-Quds Hospital, the second largest in Gaza, had ceased operations due to a fuel shortage as Israeli forces continue to bomb the besieged enclave.

The PRCS also held the international community and signatories of the Fourth Geneva Convention accountable for the complete breakdown of Gaza’s healthcare system and the resulting dire humanitarian crisis.

ME