Middle East & Africa | The flow of aid

Why food is piling up on the edge of Gaza

Thousands of tonnes of food and medicine are still waiting to get in

Aid trucks bound for Gaza wait In Al-Arish due  to the closed crossing
Photograph: Getty Images

Judging by the amount of aid that has arrived at the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza, the embattled Palestinians should be well catered for. Canvas warehouses rise out of the desert, piled high with blankets and tents. Depots are packed with medicines and sanitary kits. Lorries loaded with food line the roadsides in their thousands. And a floating hospital with 100 beds, courtesy of the United Arab Emirates, is docked at a nearby Egyptian port.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Why food is piling up at the border”

How to raise the world’s IQ

From the July 13th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Middle East & Africa

Iran’s electronic confrontation with Israel

The two adversaries are engaged in an intense cyber struggle, with Israel still a click ahead

The bunkers on Beirut’s golf course are in the crosshairs

Still, hazards off the fairway are no excuse for slow play


Israel’s ultra-Orthodox still won’t fight, invoking scripture

An age-old argument is making Binyamin Netanhayu face an enduring dilemma


The lessons of Africa’s tax revolts

If states want to collect more, they will have to offer something in return

Cheap Asian motorcycles are transforming African cities

The $1,000 boda boda carries a big economic punch

South Africa’s foreign minister wants better relations with the West

Ronald Lamola’s view counts: he may be the next president