US military to send flights carrying Gazan aid to Egypt amid extended truce

The US military will fly three separate aid flights to North Sinai, Egypt from where critical supplies will be delivered into Gaza, including food, medical supplies, and winter gear.

As reported by Defense One, a senior administration US official told confirmed this to reporters on November 27, noting, that the aid will be distributed by United Nations entities operating inside Gaza.

The announcement comes after Qatar announced an additional two-day pause in fighting in exchange for Hamas to release additional hostages. It is during those pauses that the transfer of aid into Gaza will take place.

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that only on November 27, “200 trucks were dispatched to the Rafah [border] crossing, and 137 trucks of supplies were offloaded by the United Nations reception point in Gaza, making it the biggest humanitarian convoy received since the seventh of October. This brings the total number of trucks of aid and assistance, including fuel to over 2000 since the 21st of October”.

The publication notes, however, that humanitarian observers have warned that water shortages could cause the already high death toll to spike, stressing, that more fuel delivery is needed to continue to run desalination equipment, sewage pumps, and other vital pieces of infrastructure and prevent deadly disease outbreaks.