As Egypt refuses to open Rafah Crossing, much-needed humanitarian aid begins to rot

Some of the much-needed food supplies waiting to enter the Gaza Strip from Egypt have begun to rot as the Rafah Crossing remains closed for aid deliveries for the third week after Egypt refused to reopen the crossing for as long as the IDF controls the Palestinian side.

The Rafah crossing — which borders Egypt and has been the main gateway for goods and people entering and leaving Gaza — has been closed since Israel on May 7 said it had seized it from Hamas.

After the IDF took control of the crossing, Egypt ended coordination for aid trucks to pass from its territory into Gaza, insisting that the other side of the crossing be under Palestinian control before it reopens.

As a result, the backlog of aid on the road between the Egyptian side of the crossing and the town of al-Arish, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) west of Rafah and an arrival point for international aid donations, has been building up.

In an attempt by aid delivery drivers to offload rotten supplies, some of the food that would have been headed for Gaza has instead been sold at cut price on the local market in northern Sinai, leading to the confiscation of stocks of rotten eggs, say local officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Supply.

One truck driver, Mahmoud Hussein, says his goods had been loaded on his vehicle for a month, gradually spoiling in the sun. Some of the foodstuffs are being discarded, others sold off cheap.

“Apples, bananas, chicken and cheese, a lot of things have gone rotten, some stuff has been returned and is being sold for a quarter of its price,” he says, crouching under his truck for shade.

“I’m sorry to say that the onions we’re carrying will at best be eaten by animals because of the worms in them.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.