Egypt announces launch of largest aid convoy to Gaza

CAIRO

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the launch of the largest humanitarian aid convoy for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

In a speech during a conference in the Asmarat area of Cairo, Madbouly said the convoy was launched "in implementation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's directives and in response to the call of humanity to support our Palestinian brothers in Gaza," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Madbouly oversaw the launch of the Tahya Misr Fund, a governmental initiative, which organized the largest comprehensive humanitarian aid convoy from Asmarat.

The convoy consists of 305 trucks carrying more than 4,200 tons of aid and 11 ambulances to support Gaza under the slogan "Together for Humanity,” the statement added.

The first six-week phase of a Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Jan. 19, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 47,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 111,400 since Oct. 7, 2023.

The three-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of untold numbers of elderly people, women and children.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last 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 Rania Abu Shamala