Relief efforts intensify in Gaza ahead of Egypt ceasefire summit

Shiva K Dhakal
National Press Corporation(NPC)
United Kingdom-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will join Donald Trump and other world leaders at an international peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, where the long-awaited Gaza ceasefire plan is due to be formally signed, Downing Street has confirmed.

The Egyptian presidency says leaders from more than 20 nations will discuss “peace and stability in the Middle East” during the summit, which follows days of intense negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Meanwhile, aid organisations are ramping up relief operations inside Gaza, as hundreds of trucks were seen queuing at the Rafah crossing early this morning — a key route for food, fuel, and medical supplies into the devastated territory.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas has until 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday to release all remaining Israeli hostages. In return, Israel is expected to release around 1,700 detainees from Gaza and 250 Palestinian prisoners from its jails.

However, tensions remain high on the ground. Reports suggest Hamas has begun recalling its fighters to reassert control across parts of Gaza, raising fears of internal clashes among Palestinian factions.

Speaking from Gaza City, Unicef’s Tess Ingram told BBC Radio 5 Live she hoped to see a “surge in aid” today as more convoys entered the north. “The challenge will be making sure that we can scale up that aid with urgency because the volumes that have been coming in have been far too low,” she said.

She added that while the flow of supplies was improving, the priority now was to ensure that assistance reached all areas of Gaza, where millions remain displaced and in urgent need of food, clean water, and medicine.