Israel reopens key Gaza border crossing for humanitarian aid

Israel has reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing into the Gaza Strip, the Israeli agency that oversees aid delivery in the territory said on Wednesday, restoring one of two key humanitarian aid entry points it had closed. door.

The Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza has been closed since a Hamas rocket attack from Gaza on Sunday killed four Israeli soldiers in the area. On Tuesday, the Israeli army launched an attack to close the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt.

Since the war began, most aid to Gaza has been delivered through the Rafah crossing. International aid agencies and officials have said that Israel’s closure of the two border crossings could make an already dire humanitarian crisis worse.

Israel’s COGAT agency said on Wednesday aid trucks had arrived at the Kerem Shalom border crossing and would enter Gaza after inspection.

With both crossings closed, it is unclear how much aid is getting into Gaza through other routes. COGAT speak on Tuesday, 60 trucks passed through Erez into northern Gaza, which Israel has reopened under pressure from the Biden administration following an Israeli airstrike killing seven aid workers.

In a call with President Biden on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel agreed to ensure that the border crossing reopens, according to a White House summary of the call.

Israel opened the border crossing at Kerem Shalom in December following pressure from the United States to speed up the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. However, Israeli protesters still regularly gather at the border gate. try to block the aid convoy from entering this area in hopes of putting pressure on Hamas to release the hostages.