/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/ZUU4YFQ2KJO4LL7FXCIR2BBTLI.jpg "Second aid convoy enters Rafah crossing from Egypt en route to Gaza")
[1/4]Egyptian volunteers gather next to a truck carrying humanitarian aid as it drives through the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt October 22, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing Rights
CAIRO, Oct 22 (Reuters) – A second convoy of aid trucks entered the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, heading towards the Gaza Strip, according to Egyptian security and humanitarian sources.
Shortly after the convoy entered the crossing, witnesses said a blast was heard in the vicinity and that ambulances could be heard deploying from the Egyptian side.
Seven people were wounded and taken to hospital, a witness and a medical source said.
The Israeli military said one of its tanks had accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian position near the border, expressing sorrow for the incident but giving no further details.
A total of around 19 trucks in Sunday’s convoy carrying medical and food supplies had been inspected by UNRWA, the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency, the sources said.
A first convoy of 20 trucks of badly needed supplies had entered Gaza on Saturday through Rafah, which had previously been out of operation after bombardments hit on the Gaza side of the border and amid wrangling over conditions for delivering aid.
Distribution of those supplies began on Sunday, but aid officials are still warning of a humanitarian disaster as supplies of food, water and fuel run low.
Israel imposed a total blockade and launched air strikes on Gaza in response to a deadly attack on Israeli soil by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The Rafah crossing, the main entry and exit point to Gaza that does not lead to Israel, has become the focus of a push to deliver aid as humanitarian conditions in Gaza worsen.
U.N. officials say at least 100 trucks a day would be required in Gaza to cover urgent needs. Before the outbreak of the most recent conflict, several hundred trucks had been arriving in the enclave daily.
U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told Reuters on Saturday that work was underway to develop a “light” inspection system, whereby Israel could check the shipments but ensure a sustained flow.
Reporting by Yusri Mohamed, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Nidal al-Mughrabi;
Writing by Nafisa Eltahir and Aidan Lewis; Editing by John Stonestreet and David Holmes
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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