CAIRO

Final preparations are underway in the Egyptian city of Arish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, with two Egyptian ministers overseeing the efforts.

Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Minister of Social Solidarity Maya Morsy arrived at Arish Airport early Saturday to inspect hospitals’ readiness to receive injured Gazans and monitor final aid delivery arrangements to the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian state news agency reported.

Earlier on Friday evening, the AlQahera News Channel reported that a large number of aid trucks were lined up at the Rafah border crossing, ready to enter Gaza. The trucks are reported to carry tens of thousands of essential food items for Gaza’s residents.

Arish, along with its airport in North Sinai, serves as a hub for receiving and transporting international relief aid into Gaza.

Aid deliveries have been disrupted since May 2024, when Israeli forces occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing.

Qatar announced a three-phase ceasefire agreement late Wednesday evening to end more than 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with the ceasefire set to take effect at 8.30 a.m. local time (0630GMT) on Sunday.

Nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 110,700 injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi