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The leader of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, announced an agreement to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian government announced an agreement to allow the entry of essential products to the Gaza Strip, which remains under a total lockdown by Israel since October 7th.

Cairo.- A statement from the Egyptian presidency detailed that the agreement was reached after a telephone conversation between the leaders of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and the United States, Joe Biden, who visited Israel yesterday to show his support for the war campaign against the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli press revealed that, in exchange for his support for a military operation in Gaza, Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the Strip, stemming from a wave of international criticism sparked by the siege. However, Netanyahu rejected the entry of aid from Israel, which means that it will only be brought in from the Egyptian side.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry recently deplored attempts to misrepresent Cairo’s position on the status of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip. “We never closed the crossing, but it is not functioning normally due to four Israeli bombings,” he stated.

The governor of the North Sinai province, Mohamed Shousha, said two days ago that three thousand tons of humanitarian aid, collected by NGOs and Egyptian entities, are waiting at the border.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced last week the designation of the El-Arish airport, in the Sinai Peninsula, as an international aid hub for the Strip, and called on the international community to send in shipments of essential products to the terminal, which will then be transported by land via the Rafah border crossing, a few dozen kilometers away.

Since then, numerous planes have landed there with cargo from Türkiye, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and other countries, as well as from the World Health Organization.

GUTERRES TRAVELS TO EGYPT TO CURB ESCALATION IN GAZA

The UN Secretary-General met the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.United Nations.- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is arriving in Egypt on Thursday to obtain access to humanitarian aid to Gaza and demand the release of hostages.

Along with UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, Guterres hopes to step up diplomatic efforts to de-escalation between Israel and the Hamas group.

On Wednesday, the UN head called for a humanitarian ceasefire following recent deadly airstrikes on schools and hospitals that have killed hundreds of civilians.

“Each of my two humanitarian appeals has a value in themselves. They are not bargaining chips. They are simply the right thing to do,” Guterres said about his calls to Israel and Hamas.

“I call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to provide sufficient time and space to help realize my two requests and to cease the epic human suffering we are witnessing,” he stressed.

As part of his agenda, the UN Secretary-General met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other regional stakeholders.

On Saturday, Guterres will participate in the international conference organized by the Egyptian president.

After 12 days of Israeli aggression, thousands of Palestinians have been killed, including women and children, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

RUSSIA SENDS PLANE CARRYING HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA

The flight  carries flour, rice, and pasta.Moscow.- An Il-76 transport plane loaded with 27 tons of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip departed from Moscow's Ramenskoye airport, the Ministry of Emergencies of the Russian Federation announced.

As the Ministry reported to Sputnik news agency, the flight is headed for the Egyptian city of El-Arish at the request of the president, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian government, and carries flour, rice, and pasta for the representatives of the Red Crescent, who will then transport them to Gaza.

On October 7th, Hamas launched thousands of missiles from the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented attack and carried out an armed incursion into Israel’s southern border areas.

Israel mobilized 300,000 reservists, launched several waves of airstrikes on Gaza, and is preparing a ground offensive.

Israel has kept the Palestinian enclave without basic provisions since October 9th, although it restarted the water supply to southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are being displaced for fear of an invasion that is considered imminent.

According to the UN, the evacuation order issued by Israel will affect more than one million people, half of Gaza’s population, and may have devastating humanitarian consequences. (PL)