Israel-Hamas truce sees NGOs scramble to rush aid into Gaza

Aid organisations are preparing to rush supplies to Gaza as a truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday morning.

Fighting paused at 7am Friday and should last for the next four days, following 48 days of relentless bombing of Gaza by Israel which has killed 14,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the enclave.

Aid trucks crossed from Egypt into Gaza, through the Rafah border, an hour-and-a-half after the ceasefire began, footage by Reuters TV showed.

Oxfam is one of the aid organisations attempting to use the temporary ceasefire as an opportunity to scale up aid deliveries to Gaza.

For the first time since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza on October 7, there will be a four-day pause in fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants as well as Israel's indiscriminate bombing of the territory.

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Oxfam told The New Arab that through its partners it was "investigating all possible options to support them to scale up their responses inside Gaza, including cash distribution, food (including fresh food), protection and hygiene kits".

However, the organisation also noted that the pause in the fighting "is simply too short", saying "it's essential to understand that a pause doesn't tackle the broader issue – the total siege on Gaza".

"Given the extensive destruction and the state of roads in Gaza, coupled with the sheer magnitude of needs, delivering aid in a meaningful manner will take weeks, if not months, not just a couple of days or hours," an Oxfam spokesperson said.

The UK section of the agency said Oxfam has faced difficulties in getting aid to Gaza. as it is not registered as an organisation in Egypt, so relying on partner organisations to do so.

"We need a full ceasefire… this is the only way to get enough humanitarian aid and life-saving assistance to civilians there," Oxfam added.

According to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) Gaza Director Fikr Shalltoot, who spoke with The New Arab, 19 MAP trucks are expected to reach the Gaza Strip during the four-day ceasefire bringing "medication for trauma and also medical disposables including different types of solutions and infection control material".

Medication for chronic diseases will also be included in the deliveries.

MAPs Gaza staff, of which 17 of 20 are currently displaced, "have been able to communicate with different hospitals, so we know where we're going to deliver the items and we have a prepared plan for the distribution".

Shalltoot added that staff would "be able to move somehow freely, though I'm not sure how they'll manage to do so due to the lack of fuel, but at least they can move without being terrified of the ongoing bombardment".

"It's really important that this ceasefire holds to allow safe corridors and safe response for all the humanitarian organisations, including our staff," she added.

According to Egyptian authorities, 130,000 liters of fuel and four trucks of gas are expected to be delivered into Gaza daily, alongside 200 trucks of aid.

In conjunction with the resumption of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, an anticipated hostage exchange is expected to be carried out over the next four days.

Fifty Israeli hostages who were taken captive by Hamas during its assault on southern Israel on 7 October, which killed 1,200 Israelis, are expected to be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.

This includes the release of 13 Israeli hostages on Friday at 4pm in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners who will be released at the same time.