Trucks loaded with humanitarian aids wait outside Rafah Crossing at the Egyptian-Gaza border, on January 21, 2009. [Xinhua]

Four days after Israel announced a unilateral ceasefire in the Palestinian territory of Gaza Strip, more humanitarian aid convoys arrived at Rafah crossing at the Egyptian-Gaza border, waiting for the permission to get into the Palestinian enclave.

Asem Amin, an official of the Arab Medical Union, said the organization has collected a number of ambulances from various countries for the Palestinians in Gaza.

"We sent some three to five ambulances into Gaza every time," said Amin, who has been at the Egyptian border for several days, adding, "Some 25 ambulances have been sent into Gaza."

"The ambulances are gifts for the Palestinian people, who suffered a lot in the conflict," said Amin, adding that the Arab organization has the plan to collect 70 ambulances, donated by charities or medical bodies of countries such as Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Turkey.

In addition, Amin said the organization have dispatched 150 Egyptian doctors into Gaza to provide medical treatment for the wounded Palestinians.

Since the beginning of the Israeli military operation against Gaza started on December 27, 2008, Egypt has decided to open the Rafah crossing to receive wounded Palestinians for medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Medical activities inside Gaza carried out by Doctors Without Borders, or Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF), an international non-governmental organization, have increased in the past two days, in the wake of the ceasefire announced by Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement respectively.

The MSF team in Gaza, made up of 70 Palestinian staff and currently 12 international staff, has resumed full range of activities, which were suspended during the conflict in Gaza, the MSF said in a press release.

On January 17, an international medical team of six-person entered Gaza, where the international body has been providing medical supplies and personnel support, said the MSF press release.

Francois Dumont, coordinator of the MSF at the Rafah crossing, said the organization is preparing for sending more doctors into Gaza.

A cargo freight of 21 tons of medical materials offered by the international body arrived in Gaza on January 19, said the MSF, adding logistics staff are constructing two inflatable hospital tents there.

The international body said the number of Palestinian patients is expected to increase as people gradually begin to seek out medical assistance during the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, dozens of trucks carrying medicine and medical equipment, including some from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), lined up at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.

Anas Tolba, a staff member of the Egyptian Red Crescent, who is responsible for the coordination work of the aid convey dispatched by the OIC, said it's the second batch offered by the organization.

"Last week we sent the first batch of four trucks into Gaza and this time we have six trucks," said Tolba.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on January 21 that it has completed troops pullout from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after the country declared a unilateral ceasefire on January 17 beginning from 2:00 AM (0000 GMT) on January 18.

For Hamas's part, exiled Deputy chief of Hamas' politburo Mussa Abu Marzouk announced on January 18 a one-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow Israeli soldiers to withdraw.

During the Gaza conflict, Rafah has become the most important terminal for international relief, particularly medicine, medical equipment and medical teams, to cross into Gaza, where some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,500 others injured in the 22 days of Israeli attacks.

(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2009)