Generous donations of life-saving aid are pouring in for the people of Gaza. At the hangars of Egypt's Al Arish Military Base, which now serve as warehouses, boxes upon boxes of relief are stacked on each other — all sealed, labelled, and ready for dispatch — but, at this point, with nowhere to go.

As Khaleej Times landed at the base, just about 50km from the Egypt-Gaza Al Rafah crossing, the team was greeted with mountains of relief meant for Palestinians caught in a spiralling humanitarian crisis. If only these parcels could enter Gaza, it could have somehow made a difference, we thought.

However, the reality on the ground is different: With trucks' movement limited and fuel in short supply, only a small fraction of help make it through the border. And as the UN said, it was nowhere near enough.

“We have received over 700 metric tonnes of aid for Gazans but the stocks are piled up here at the military base due to limited trucks crossing the border,” said Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in North Sinai.

Volunteer work continues

Despite the circumstances, hundreds of volunteers from the Egyptian Red Crescent continue to work non-stop at the base.

They are the heroes who make sure essentials are segregated and properly sealed, packed, and stored.

From crucial medical supplies, food, and daily necessities to electronics and clothes, the shipments — including those from the UAE — are sealed, labelled, and stacked on each other, ready to be dispatched as soon as the green light is given.

Khaleej Times was aboard the military aircraft that transported the fifth shipment from Dubai's International Humanitarian City (IHC) to Al Arish. The flight carried over 9 tonnes of humanitarian aid from the World Health Organisation stockpile.

Keeping relief items in good condition

Several forklifts and hydraulic machines have been deployed to efficiently move the boxes within the air base. Once offloaded, volunteers carefully sort out all the relief goods.

“The distinction between perishable and non-perishable items is crucial. Perishable items, such as food and medicines, are carefully wrapped and stored in warehouses to shield them from the outside heat,” said a volunteer, adding that items like coolers, clothing, and blankets are stored outside the hangar.

Segregated relief materials are piled on top of each other, neatly sealed with a cling wrap, marked with a sticker of its contents, and stored in the appropriate sections.

Clear strategy in place

Volunteers have strategically partitioned the storage area, facilitating quick and efficient identification of items before loading on trucks and dispatching them to Gaza.

The designated sections include electronics and medical equipment, food, essentials for children and women, clothing, daily necessities, and blankets.

The food section is further categorised based on expiration dates, distinguishing between canned foods and liquids.

A UN officer recently pointed out that some of the aid that had arrived in Gaza could not be used. Donations like rice and lentils, for example, could not be cooked because of water and fuel shortage. This is why communication is crucial.

Volunteers at the base are continuously in touch with the Red Cresent in Gaza.

“The most required materials are stored right near the entrance of the truck to the airbase, so it gets loaded quickly and dispatched,” said Sameh, a volunteer at the military base.

Hundreds of trucks are ready to go

The first convoy of aid trucks crossed the Rafah border on October 21. On October 22, 17 trucks were allowed to deliver aid, followed by another 17 trucks the next day.

Across the border, over 2.3 million Gazans are running out of food, water, and medicines. And the UN has estimated that about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet the needs of Gaza.

There's a long line of trucks waiting at the Egyptian side of the border, a volunteer said. There are, in fact, hundreds of trucks all loaded with supplies — if only they could be allowed to move, a volunteer said.

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