Rafah is the main route in and out of the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel, and the center of efforts to deliver aid to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
UN officials say at least 100 trucks a day are needed in Gaza to meet urgent needs, and that any aid delivery must be sustained and at scale. Before the outbreak of the conflict, an average of 450 aid trucks arrived there daily.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza, already precarious, has reached catastrophic levels,” UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in a statement.
Israel imposed a complete blockade and launched airstrikes on Gaza in response to a deadly Hamas attack on Israeli soil on October 7. The Rafah border crossing has been out of operation since shortly after, and shelling in Gaza damaged roads and buildings that needed repairs.
Supplies run out
The UN has warned that food has been running out in Gaza and fuel supplies needed to keep hospital backup generators running have reached dangerously low levels.
Israel has said it will not allow aid into its territory until Hamas releases the hostages it took during its attack, and that it can only enter through Egypt as long as it does not end up in the hands of Hamas.
Many Gazans have crowded into southern areas to avoid airstrikes in the north, although they say no part of the territory is safe.