Russia has said it had sent 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Egypt to be delivered to the Gaza Strip, which has been under near-total siege and relentless Israeli bombardment, AFP reports.

“A special aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry delivered 25 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the Arab Republic of Egypt,” Russia’s emergency services said on social media.

It published images of staff loading cargo onto an Il-76 plane in an airport in the central Russian city of Kazan, saying the shipment contained food and hygiene products, as well as clothing and portable cookers.

“The humanitarian cargo has already been handed over to representatives of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.

“Further Russian aid will be sent to the residents of the Gaza Strip,” it said in the most recent post. This is at least the fifth aid shipment from Russia to Gaza, according to the emergency service’s social media.