Visit comes as Gaza continues to face Israeli blockade and humanitarian crisis
A delegation from the US Senate on Saturday visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, where thousands of trucks carrying aid remain stalled due to Israel’s continued blockade.
The delegation, which included Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was accompanied by aides, UN Truce Supervision Organization officials Anna Nikolskaya and Niko Vels, and representatives of the US Embassy in Cairo, according to the Egyptian channel Al-Qahira News.
They toured warehouses near the crossing alongside North Sinai Governor Maj. Gen. Khaled Magawer, according to the broadcaster.
Magawer told the delegation that “more than 5,000 trucks loaded with food and relief supplies are waiting in logistical centers, with goods rotting due to Israeli restrictions.”
He stressed that the Egyptian side of Rafah “has never been closed,” saying authorities are “fully prepared to let the aid in once Israeli obstacles are removed.”
The delegation arrived at Egypt’s Al-Arish Airport earlier on Saturday.
Since May 2024, Israel has controlled the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, halting the entry of humanitarian aid and preventing the exit of patients and wounded individuals seeking treatment abroad, worsening the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Despite Washington’s full backing of Israel’s military operations, US President Donald Trump acknowledged the existence of famine in Gaza during a visit to the UAE in mid-May 2025.
The Senate delegation’s visit comes days after the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) report issued on Aug. 22 warned of widespread famine in northern Gaza, with the potential to spread further due to Israel’s ongoing siege and systematic starvation of the population.
Since March 2, 2025, Israel has closed all Gaza crossings, allowing only a minimal number of aid trucks, pushing the strip deeper into famine, a situation confirmed by the UN.
Israel has killed nearly 63,400 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
