The Rafah crossing was quickly closed shortly after it opened, on Saturday morning, and only 20 trucks passed, carrying relief aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been besieged by Israel for two weeks, amid Arab and international demands to establish mechanisms to ensure the “sustainability” of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on a daily basis.

The trucks carry medicines, medical supplies, and a limited amount of canned food, according to Palestinian statements. While the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations said that the trucks that passed in the first batch belonged to the “Egyptian Red Crescent” and were delivered by the “Palestinian Red Crescent.”

The Rafah crossing, which is the main entry and exit port from the Gaza Strip, was disrupted after Israel imposed a complete siege and launched air strikes on Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Saturday that Egypt “ spared no effort day and night to deliver aid to Gaza, and did not close the Rafah crossing for a day, but the Israeli bombing prevented it from working.” He added during the opening of the Cairo Peace Summit on Saturday: “Let me ask... where are the values of human civilization that we have built in relation to what is happening in Gaza?”

While Jordanian King Abdullah II, in his speech during the Cairo summit, stressed “the priority of delivering humanitarian aid, fuel, food, and medicine in a sustainable and uninterrupted manner to the Gaza Strip.”

Egyptian state television showed footage of the authorities opening the Rafah crossing in the Sinai Peninsula for humanitarian aid, days after more than 200 aid trucks waited in front of the crossing, while more relief materials were still piled up in the area. The footage showed the moment the first humanitarian aid convoy began entering, amid celebrations from volunteers on the Egyptian side with ululations and chants.

UN officials say that Gaza needs at least 100 trucks per day to provide the necessary needs, and that any introduction of aid must be continuous and on a large scale. Before the outbreak of the conflict, about 450 aid trucks arrived in Gaza daily.

The United Nations Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, stressed that the humanitarian aid convoy that entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing “must not be the last.” Griffiths said, in a statement published on his official account on the “X” website on Saturday: “The people of Gaza have endured decades of suffering, and the international community cannot continue to let them down,” expressing his welcome to the announcement of the entry of the first aid convoy into Gaza.

Griffiths pointed out that the convoy of 20 trucks includes vital supplies provided by the “Egyptian Red Crescent” and the United Nations, and it was agreed that they would be crossed and received by the “Palestinian Red Crescent” with the support of the United Nations. He noted that the delivery process comes after days of intense negotiations with All parties concerned to ensure that the aid operation in Gaza resumes as quickly as possible, and under the appropriate conditions.

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the first convoy of relief supplies to the Gaza Strip contains 60 tons of food. The program said, in a statement on Saturday, that cans of tuna, flour, pasta, beans, and other materials will be distributed to those in need as soon as possible.

Cindy McCain, the program's executive director, called in a letter issued from Cairo for "immediate, safe and sustainable access for humanitarian assistance to Gaza." She warned that this aid would only last for a few days, and then the food would run out, and the people of Gaza would face hunger again.

The program still has another 930 tons of food on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing with Gaza, and it aims to help 1.1 million people over the next two months.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza to humanitarian aid, and wrote in a tweet on the “X” website: “This is an important first step that will alleviate the suffering of innocent people... I extend my thanks to all the participants.” “Who made this possible.”

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the entry of the first humanitarian aid convoy into the Gaza Strip as “a glimmer of hope in these difficult hours.” Birbock, who returned to Egypt, said on the “X” platform: “We thank everyone who contributed and continues to work as quickly as possible to expand the scope of aid.”

While French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Saturday that “distributing aid to the civilian population, starting with the most needy, requires the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, which may lead to a ceasefire,” during the Cairo Peace Summit.

According to the World Health Organization, it sent 4 trucks carrying medicines and trauma equipment to treat up to 1,200 wounded people, in addition to medicines for 1,500 patients suffering from chronic diseases. The organization added, “The supplies currently heading to Gaza will not be sufficient to meet the escalating health needs as hostilities continue to escalate, and there is an urgent need for an expanded and protected aid operation.”

On the other hand, a number of foreign nationals are gathering at the Rafah crossing waiting to exit the Gaza Strip after it was opened for a short period for the entry of humanitarian aid, before it was closed again.

The US Embassy in Israel said, earlier to open the crossing, that “the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip may open today, Saturday, which indicates the possibility of foreign nationals being able to leave the Palestinian Strip.”

Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid wrote on the “X” platform on Friday that Egypt is not responsible for closing the Rafah crossing between it and the Gaza Strip, “even though Israel targeted it 4 times and refused aid to enter.” He said: “Today, it will bear the responsibility for obstructing the exit of nationals of other countries... The crossing is open and Egypt is not responsible for obstructing their exit.”