Aid rolls into Gaza...but escape still impossible

VITAL aid finally rolled into the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday as Rishi Sunak warned against a "contagion of conflict" in the Middle East.

- Marco Giannangeli

A humanitarian convoy of 20 Egyptian Red Crescent lorries, carrying life-saving supplies, crossed the border from Rafah, Egypt, although the UN warned it was "not enough" to meet the dire needs of 2.3 million people.

The convoy had been parked on the border for a week, alongside 200 lorries carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid, while negotiations unfolded around Israeli demands of proof the aid would not end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists.

According to UN officials, at least 100 lorries a day are needed in Gaza to cover urgent needs.

"The people of Gaza need a commitment for much, much more - a continuous delivery of aid," the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, told a summit in Cairo.

He added that the time has come for "action to end this godawful nightmare" and called for an immediate ceasefire.

As aid rolled in, hundreds of foreign passport holders trapped in Gaza queued at the border hoping to escape the Palestinian enclave.

The border post has remained closed to Palestinians wanting to escape the siege.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels," said the UN's Martin Griffiths.

"I am confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies including water, and fuel."

But Israel yesterday stood by its decision to exclude fuel, vital for Gaza's power generators, in a bid to hamper Hamas's operations.