Look: Thousands of relief boxes for Gaza pile up at Egypt's hangars with nowhere to go

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.

• Israel-Hamas war: UAE warns of growing tension in region