The United Nations has announced that the first aid delivery into Gaza via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to occur “in the next day or so.” Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, stated that they are engaged in advanced negotiations with relevant parties to facilitate the aid operation. The UN’s aim is to ensure a swift and secure start to this humanitarian effort. While the exact timing remains uncertain, there is hope for a prompt and sustained delivery of aid. The humanitarian community emphasises the urgent need for a mechanism to transport aid into southern Gaza, all while continuing to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Desperately needed international aid is accumulating in Egypt near Gaza, where Palestinians are facing critical shortages of food and water due to ongoing Israeli bombings. The situation in Gaza has deteriorated rapidly, with over one million of its 2.4 million residents displaced. Originally, Egyptian state-linked broadcaster Al Qahera News had announced the opening of the Rafah crossing on Friday, which serves as the sole route into Gaza. However, Cairo later cited the need for road repairs and postponed the opening. The recent escalation in violence stems from a major attack launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on October 7. The attack resulted in substantial casualties, with Israeli officials reporting at least 1,400 deaths, primarily among civilians. In response, Israel has conducted extensive aerial bombings, causing significant destruction. An impending ground invasion is anticipated, heightening concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As of now, the situation remains critical, with at least 4,137 Palestinians, mainly civilians, reported dead due to the ongoing conflict, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Meanwhile, during a rare address from the Oval Office, Biden urged the United States to take the lead in supporting Israel and Ukraine, saying he would make an “urgent” request to Congress for aid later Friday. “American leadership is what holds the world together,” Biden said in just the second primetime speech to the nation of his presidency from behind the historic Resolute Desk. While solidly backing Israel, he also pointed to the plight of those trapped in Gaza, saying they “urgently need food, water and medicine”. Fresh from a whirlwind trip to Israel this week, Biden is hoping to staunch the possibility of a wider Middle East war. The United States has already moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Hezbollah, both allies of Hamas, from getting involved. But fears of a wider conflagration are growing, with Israel announcing plans to evacuate the northern city of Kiryat Shmona after days of clashes with Hezbollah fighters along the border with Lebanon. Key Middle East players Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt and Jordan’s King Abdullah II have warned the conflict could spread and condemned what they said was the “collective punishment” of Gazans.