Stranded Gaza aid dumped in Egypt's Al-Arish due to Israel's Rafah occupation

Expired aid intended for Gaza has been dumped in Egypt's Al-Arish as the Rafah border crossing remains closed.

4 min read

04 September, 2024

Large quantities of humanitarian aid are being discarded in the city's open areas as the Israeli military maintains control over the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt [Getty]

Aid intended for Gaza has been dumped in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish after it expired whilst waiting to be let into the besieged enclave, where Israel's military campaign had stopped the flow of aid despite the dire humanitarian conditions.

Hundreds of trucks loaded with food and medicine were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza, some for months, awaiting permission to deliver the much-needed humanitarian supplies into the enclave.

An official from the Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed to The New Arab's Arabic language editor Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a large portion of the aid which arrived in Egypt through the Al-Arish International Airport, intended for the people of Gaza, had expired or was no longer fit for consumption.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said part of the aid consisted of medicine which required special storage, while other parts of the aid included canned food with expiry dates.

"This aid was intended to reach Gaza within a short period before the closure of the Rafah border crossing," the official said.

Local residents gathered around sites of the discarded aid, sent by Egyptian and international organisations since the war on Gaza began in October and had expired or was nearing expiration.

"Large trucks come to the area where I live from time to time to unload their cargo on the side of the road," Noor Mohammed, a resident of Al-Arish told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"Local people then go through it, and take items that may still be useable and hadn't spoilt. It is obvious that the aid which has been dumped has come from various countries around the world, with some of the packages bearing names of countries like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab and European states.

"Crowds frequently gather in certain areas of Al-Arish, which have become known for the dumping of humanitarian aid that was supposed to reach the people of Gaza.

"Some of the collected aid is used by the locals, while others are sold in the markets."

The Israeli military started its assault on the southern city of Rafah in May, when the crossing between Gaza and Egypt - a lifeline to the outside world for Gazans - shut since then.

Talks involving Egypt, the US and Israel have failed to reopen the Rafah crossing despite Cairo wanting the Palestinian presence restored on the Gazan side of the border. Israeli flags now fly over Gazan buildings there, with no aid flowing into the territory by that land border.

The standstill is exacerbating Gaza's dire humanitarian crisis after over ten months of relentless attacks by the Israeli military as aid groups warn of a high risk of famine across the besieged coastal territory.

Some streets in Al-Arish are congested with long queues of parked aid-loaded trucks, prompting complaints from local residents over their impact on traffic.

This has led city authorities to direct the trucks out of the city towards the desert hinterlands.

"A large quantity of aid remains in warehouses that can no longer accommodate new supplies," the official from the Egyptian Red Cresent told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"As a result, aid-laden trucks remain parked in place, continuing to line the roads, whether near the Rafah crossing or on the international road in Al-Arish.

"[Aid trucks have] dumped the aid in various locations within North Sinai before departing. This resulted in piles of aid scattered across the streets of Al-Arish and other nearby areas."

A source from the Al-Arish city council told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that they were forced to direct aid-laden trucks to leave Al-Arish for the desert hinterlands for a long wait until the supplies can be delivered to Gaza.

They also urged drivers to leave residential areas after repeated complaints from local citizens over congestion and trucks blocking roads or taking up parking spaces.

The source said that expired aid was being destroyed under the supervision of local authorities operating in Al-Arish.

"Some mishandling during the disposal process may have resulted in aid being dumped in residential areas resulting in local residents taking portions of it for their own use or selling it in markets without government overflight," the source said.