Egypt's border crossing opens to allow desperately needed aid into Gaza

Saturday marked the first time since Israel sealed off the border between Egypt and Gaza after Hamas' bloody rampage two weeks earlier that desperately needed aid entered.

Aid workers complained that only 20 trucks were allowed in to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Days have passed with over 200 trucks carrying 3,000 tons of aid waiting nearby.

The 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, half of whom have fled, are rationing food and drinking dirty water. A territory-wide power outage has left hospitals short on medical supplies and generator fuel. The Hamas-run Health Ministry said fuel shortages and bombing damage closed five hospitals.

Rafah opened after a week of high-level diplomacy, including visits by U.S. President Joe Biden and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Israel refused to let Hamas enter Gaza until it released all its captives from its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

Late Friday, Hamas released its first captives, an American woman and her teenage daughter. Whether the release and aid deliveries were related was unclear. Israel says Hamas holds at least 210 hostages, but their conditions and survival are unknown.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman, said “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is under control.” He said the aid would only go to southern Gaza, where the army ordered people to move, and no fuel.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged all sides to keep the crossing open for vital aid shipments and warned Hamas not to accept it.

“Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas's horrific terrorism, and they should not suffer for its depraved acts,” he said. "As President Biden stated, if Hamas steals or diverts this assistance, it will have shown again that it has no regard for Palestinian welfare.