On Tuesday, Egyptian assistance trucks got closer to the only Gaza crossing not under Israeli control, but it was unclear when they may get through because there was no deal in place to provide supplies and the Palestinian side was remained closed because of strikes.

According to the interior ministry of Gaza, at least 49 persons were murdered during an overnight Israeli airstrike on the town of Khan Younis and the adjoining city of Rafah, where the border is located.

Some people with dual citizenship who have gathered in recent days awaiting the opening of the Rafah crossing began approaching the border on Tuesday, but many said they were staying away due to the air strikes.

After nine hours of negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early on Tuesday he had agreed with Israel “to develop a plan” to get aid into Gaza.

Egypt says the Rafah crossing, a vital artery before the fighting and now a key route for desperately needed supplies into the Israeli-besieged Palestinian enclave, has not been officially closed but has become inoperable due to the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.

Early on Tuesday some 160 trucks left al-Arish in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, where hundreds of tonnes of aid have been awaiting an agreement on aid delivery, an eyewitness told Reuters.

Ahmed Salem of the Sinai Foundation said that the trucks heading for the border contained Egyptian aid, and that the international aid remained in warehouses in al-Arish.

Salem and another security source said Egypt had repaired the roads within the crossing that had been damaged by Israeli strikes.