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
9
Omar, an Egyptian truck driver carrying diesel for fuel-deprived Gazans, says, “This time, we waited five days to cross Rafah — it used to be up to 30. We may wait forever, but we need peace for the people of Gaza.”
10
A truck enters Egypt’s Rafah crossing. The estimated death toll from Israel's war on Gaza is 47,000, more than half of them women and children, with 110,000 wounded, thousands missing, and nine in 10 (or 1.9 million) displaced, according to Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry.
