Israel announces reopening of Key Gaza crossing

The Israeli military has announced reopening of Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after being closed for several days.

However, the UN said on Wednesday that no humanitarian aid has yet
reached Gaza, and there is no one on the Palestinian side to accept it, as workers left during Israel’s military operation in the region.

Four Israeli soldiers were killed by a Hamas rocket attack near the Kerem Shalom border between Gaza and Israel over the weekend.

The adjoining Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt was also forced to close on Tuesday after an Israeli tank brigade captured it. These two establishments serve as the primary entry points for food, medication, and other necessities necessary for the 2.3 million Palestinian residents of Gaza to survive.

Aid officials have warned that prolonged closure of the two crossings could cause the collapse of aid operations, worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the U.N. says a “full-blown famine” is already underway in the north.

The United States paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah, in a further widening of divisions between the two close allies.

The U.S. says it is concerned over the fate of around 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom fled fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and that a wider offensive there is needed to dismantle the group’s military and governing capabilities.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are ramping up efforts to close the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary cease-fire and the release of some of the scores of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

Israel has linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of those negotiations.

CIA chief William Burns, who has been shuttling around the region for talks on the cease-fire deal, met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a U.S. official said.

With the seizure of Rafah, Israel now controls all of Gaza’s crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, though it has maintained a blockade with Egypt’s cooperation for most of that time.

The Rafah crossing has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Kerem Shalom is Gaza’s main cargo terminal.