As the latest Israel-Hamas ceasefire and captive exchange deal took effect Jan. 19, 2025, across the Gaza Strip, Egyptian photojournalist Hamada Elrasam reported from Egypt’s side of the Rafah border crossing, where hundreds of aid trucks lined up to cross into the territory devastated after 15 months of war with Israel. Captions written in collaboration with Elle Kurancid.
In photos: Hundreds of trucks deliver aid from Egypt to Gaza as ceasefire holds
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Gaza-bound trucks carrying water, medicine, food, fuel and other essentials wait at the Rafah crossing’s main gates on Jan. 19, 2025. U.N. officials say 80% of Gazans live in poverty after 15 months of Israeli bombardments and restrictions.
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Trucks travel deliver aid in Rafah, Egypt. The first six weeks of the three-phase deal permit up to 600 truckloads of aid daily into Gaza, the prewar level of basic-needs support for survival, after averaging just 40 to 50 per day in recent months.
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Egypt says the Rafah crossing reopened to 330 aid trucks and 20 fuel trucks on Jan. 19, 2025. In May, Israel seized the Gaza side of the corridor as part of its offensive on Rafah city that severed the Strip’s lifeline to Egypt and the world.
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Abu Sanad, a team leader from the Egyptian-owned Organi Group, oversees crossings via Rafah to Gaza. “We prepare the trucks in coordination with the Israelis,” he says. “Today, they allowed everyone on the list through.”
