Rafah: A convoy of humanitarian aid trucks under the slogan 'Provision of Dignity. From Egypt to Gaza' resumed entry to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, February 22, 2026, after a two-day pause over the weekend, crossing through the secondary gate of Rafah Border Crossing in North Sinai governorate toward the Karm Abu Salem Crossing, ahead of their entry into the enclave.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the 143rd batch of humanitarian and relief aid trucks began moving from Rafah Border Crossing to Karm Abu Salem, southeast of Gaza. The trucks are inspected by Israeli authorities at Karm Abu Salem before being allowed to enter the territory.
Israeli forces had closed the crossings linking Gaza on March 2, 2025, after the first phase of a ceasefire agreement expired without a deal to consolidate it. The truce was breached on March 18, 2025, with heavy air strikes and renewed ground incursions into areas of Gaza from which Israeli forces had previously withdrawn.
Israeli forces also barred the entry of humanitarian aid trucks, fuel, and shelter supplies for displaced people who lost their homes during the war and refused to allow heavy equipment needed for debris removal and reconstruction into Gaza. Aid deliveries resumed in May 2025 under a mechanism implemented by Israeli troops and a US security company, despite objections from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which said it contravened established international procedures.
Israeli forces later announced a 'temporary truce' for 10 hours on July 27, 2025, suspending operations in parts of Gaza to allow humanitarian aid deliveries. Mediators - Egypt, Qatar, and the US - continued efforts to secure a comprehensive ceasefire agreement and an exchange of prisoners and detainees.
In the early hours of Oct. 9, 2025, an agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel on the first phase of a ceasefire plan proposed by U.S President Donald Trump in Sharm el-Sheikh, with Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. mediation and Turkish support. The second phase of the agreement entered into force on Feb. 2, 2026, after the completion of prisoner and detainee exchanges and the handover of the remains of the last Israeli captive under the first phase. Palestinians were allowed to enter Gaza, and wounded and injured individuals were permitted to leave for treatment in Egyptian hospitals following the reopening of the Palestinian side of the Rafah Border Crossing.