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LONDON: The Egyptian Red Crescent has sent an aid convoy to Gaza to assist the 2 million Palestinians in the enclave.

Aid trucks delivered 2,300 tonnes of humanitarian relief to Gaza, including 2,200 food baskets, flour and medicines. The effort is part of “Zad Al-Izza: From Egypt to Gaza,” an initiative launched on July 27 which also delivered flour, baby milk, medical and therapeutic medicines, personal care supplies and large quantities of fuel.

The trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, located at the southesternmost point of the territory. The crossing is controlled by Israel.

The Egyptian Red Crescent said that the Rafah crossing, controlled by Egypt on its side of the border, remains operational, with more than 36,000 trucks delivering about half a million tonnes of humanitarian aid, supported by 35,000 volunteers since the conflict began.

In May 2024, Israeli forces launched a military attack on Rafah, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying the Rafah crossing terminal.

Israeli forces have only allowed minimal aid to enter Gaza through Rafah since the beginning of the war in 2023.

DUBAI: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot voiced support on Tuesday for a joint appeal made with ����ֱ�� at the United Nations for the release of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and its exclusion from any future role in governing a Palestinian state.

Warning that any expansion of Israeli military operations into Gaza City and the Al-Mawasi area would be “a recipe for disaster,” the minister said such a move would cause more civilian casualties, endanger hostages, and risk turning the conflict into a war without end. 

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his vision of victory in Gaza following 22 months of war - with the military ordered to attack the last remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps further south.

With a pre-war population of some 760,000, according to official figures, Gaza City was the biggest of any municipal area in the Palestinian territories.

The Barrot called for a permanent ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid, while proposing a temporary international stabilization mission under a UN mandate to lay the groundwork for lasting peace.

The Security Council should mandate this mission, the minister said, adding that work with international partners had already begun. 

“It’s the only credible way of ending permanent war and building peace and stability in the region. Let’s not waste any time,” he said.