Aid pours into Gaza as Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal enters fourth day

More than 3,200 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip from various crossings since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect on Sunday.

The ceasefire agreement initiates six weeks of calm, raising hopes for an end to 15 months of Israeli assaults on Gaza that devastated the enclave and for the release of dozens of hostages held there.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that its Givati Brigade had withdrawn from the northern Jabalia area during the truce, but was preparing for potential future operations.

Also on Wednesday, Egypt announced that 300 aid trucks had passed through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza following inspections at the Al-Oja and Kerem Shalom crossings under the Israeli control. Among these, 25 trucks carried fuel, a critical resource for Gaza.

Egyptian officials and Red Crescent sources said that efforts are being made to prepare the Rafah crossing for two-way operations by the weekend, with heavy machinery repairing roads around the crossing and near Palestinian cities to facilitate the delivery of aid and the evacuation of injured Palestinians to Egypt.

Since the ceasefire tool effect on Sunday, over 3,200 aid trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and other essentials had entered Gaza through multiple crossings, according to reports as of Wednesday.

On the same day, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that 808 trucks had entered Gaza to mark the fourth day of the truce.

The United Nations has identified Gaza's prioritized humanitarian needs including food relief, healthcare, hospital supplies, water network repairs, house reconstruction materials, and family reunifications.

The ceasefire agreement, brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, was announced on January 15 and consists of three phases towards a permanent ceasefire between the parties.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, weakened 3 pips to 6.8657 against the U.S. dollar Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In China's spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.