Food convoy finally enters Gaza

Humanitarian conditions are dire in the concrete tunnel south of Erez

The first food aid delivery for eight days has arrived in Gaza from Israel, following last week's fighting.

Nine lorries crossed the border carrying food and medicine, in a convoy managed by the World Food Programme.

Earlier several Israeli tanks crossed into the Hamas-controlled coastal strip and took positions near Erez crossing.

Israel says a number of Palestinians wounded in Gaza fighting and in a shooting at the crossing have been evacuated to Israeli hospitals.

Hundreds of Palestinians are trapped at the crossing, trying to flee Gaza after the radical Islamist movement Hamas took over the impoverished coastal strip.

Most people fleeing have been denied entry by Israel, which controls the crossing, on security grounds.

'Difficult to arrange'

Eighty percent of Gazans are reliant on food and medical aid.

Kirsty Campbell, of the WFP who supervised the entry of the aid convoy into Gaza, hoped it would be the first of many.

"This is really good news. We've been working very hard with all the different authorities concerned to try to be able to open a food corridor between Israel and Gaza," she told the BBC.

"Since last week's events it's been extremely difficult to arrange that given the change of procedures, and change of authorities. However, today it's a start - it's a really good start."

The BBC's Katya Adler, at the Erez crossing, says the political will is there on all sides to avoid a humanitarian crisis but practical problems remain.

Israel will not co-ordinate with the ruling Hamas faction just over the border as Hamas will not recognise Israel's right to exist.

So complicated third party arrangements are necessary for this food to keep getting through, our correspondent adds.

Roadblocks

The evacuation of wounded Palestinians to Israeli hospitals was conducted under a veil of secrecy, Reuters reported.

This was because of Israeli concerns that Palestinians trapped at the crossing for days since the Gaza fighting would try to flee to Israel.

An official of the International Commission of the Red Cross told Israel Radio some of the wounded had been brought from hospitals inside Gaza to the crossing and were taken by ambulance to Israeli hospitals.

Israeli tanks protected the ambulances by entering the crossing earlier on Tuesday, and army bulldozers removed roadblocks.

On Monday, a Palestinian was killed and a number of others were wounded in an exchange of gunfire at the crossing-point.

Palestinian medics said Israeli troops had opened fire but the army said the fire came from a Palestinian gunman.

Reports say there are hundreds of Gazans sheltering in the long dusty concrete tunnel on the south side of the crossing - some believed to be members of pro-Fatah security forces.

Israeli military officials have blocked the crossing to everyone except those who work for international organisations, people with special permission and emergency cases, saying some of the travellers could be anti-Israel militants.