Aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt at a cautious pace, as Egyptian officials tried to assess the pulse of a Gaza cease-fire agreement, amid hopes it would hold and be reinforced in the coming days, despite concerns that developments on the West Bank might cause it to fray.
An unnamed U.N. official on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing expressed cautious optimism to journalists that aid shipments into Gaza would continue and pick up speed if the current cease-fire holds.
In photos: Hundreds of trucks deliver aid from Egypt to Gaza as ceasefire holds
“There’s a readiness to manifest to send more trucks [into Gaza] in order to make sure that the [need] is met,” the official said. “And the initial filling of the gap on the other side is really important.”
Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV’s correspondent in Rafah indicated that 600 aid trucks went into Gaza from Egypt Tuesday. He added that on a normal day before the conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, an average of 500 trucks went into Gaza from Egypt.
As Gazans told Arab media they were pleased a ceasefire appeared to be holding, some observers expressed worries that so much damage has been done to Gaza that it might not be possible to restore any semblance of normalcy for years to come.
Paul Sullivan, a Washington-based Middle East analyst and former professor at the American University of Cairo, told VOA he was not optimistic that a ceasefire deal, even if it holds, will do much to restore calm to Gaza.
“This will be a source of terrorism for decades to come,” Sullivan said. “The ticking human pain of the starving youth will haunt the world for decades to come.”
In the meantime, ordinary Egyptians, the overwhelming majority of whom supported Gaza during the months of the conflict against Israel, appeared pleased to see some hope that the fighting was finally winding down.
