Egypt dispatched its 29th humanitarian convoy to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday 3 ,September 2025 in an effort to provide a lifeline to what Cairo's diplomatic rhetoric condemned as an Israeli "war of starvation" and "collective punishment"
The convoy, carrying dozens of trucks loaded with food staples such as sugar, flour, oil, rice, legumes, and baby formula as well as medical supplies, therapeutic drugs, personal items, and fuel, departed from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to the Israeli-controlled Karm Abu Salem crossing, according to Al Qahera News.
The relief effort, dubbed the Zad El-Ezza: From Egypt to Gaza initiative, was launched on 27 July, five months into a deadly Israeli blockade on the strip that caused global outrage.
The initiative is organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) in coordination with the United Nations (UN).
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The UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, on 22 August.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry reported that 185 people died of malnutrition in August alone, bringing the total death toll due to starvation since the outbreak of Israel's genocidal war on the strip in October 2023 to 361, including 130 children.
The ministry warned that "the catastrophic consequences of famine in the Gaza Strip are accelerating," noting that 43,000 children under five are extremely malnourished.
It added that 67 percent of the strip's pregnant women are anemic the highest rate in years and over 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are suffering from malnutrition.
The IPC forecasts conditions will deteriorate further by the end of September.
Despite Egypt's efforts, aid operations continue to face Israeli obstruction.
At the Karm Abu Salem crossing, Israeli inspections continue to significantly delay the entry of trucks and often deny their passage.
Over 5,000 trucks remain stranded on the Egyptian side of Rafah; some have been stuck for so long that the food they are carrying has begun to rot.
Medical supplies and fuel are frequently restricted, while fewer than 100 trucks per day are currently allowed into Gaza far short of the 600 to 800 trucks daily the UN says are the minimum requirement to stave off mass starvation.
Egypt's Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, described the situation in Gaza as a "continuing humanitarian catastrophe", urging the international community to exert pressure for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access during the Bled Strategic Forum on Tuesday.
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The minister also denounced forced displacement schemes and condemned Israel's deliberate mass starvation policy.
At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus summit, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attending on behalf of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said the Israeli war on the strip has become a "war of starvation", not a struggle over political goals, but an attempt to "liquidate the Palestinian cause".
Since the beginning of the war, Egypt has provided over 70 percent of all aid reaching Gaza.
It delivered over 45,125 truckloads carrying 500,000 tons of food, medicine, and fuel. Of this, around 368,000 tons came directly from Egypt, with the rest supplied by international donors.
This also included 209 ambulances and 81,380 tons of fuel.
Additionally, El-Arish airport has received over 1,000 aircraft, loaded with 27,247 tons of international aid. The town's port has also handled 32 ships, carrying 74,779 tonnes of relief materials.
Egypt's military also conducted 168 airdrops carrying 3,730 tonnes of supplies.
