The first of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered the war-torn and besieged Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, said AFP correspondents on both sides.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said he was “confident that this delivery will be the start of a sustainable effort to provide essential supplies… to the people of Gaza” and warned that “this first convoy must not be the last”.

The border crossing was closed again after the passage of the trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent, which is responsible for delivering the aid, including food and medical supplies from various UN agencies.

It was the first such delivery since Israel began bombarding Gaza on Oct 7.