Israel-Hamas war: Kerem Shalom border crossing to Gaza reopened after rocket attack

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had reopened its Kerem Shalom border crossing into the Gaza Strip after days of closure. However, the United Nations said humanitarian aid had not yet arrived and there was no one on the Palestinian side to receive it after workers fled during Israel’s military invasion of the region.

The Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza and Israel was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack nearby killed four Israeli soldiers and an Israeli armored brigade on Tuesday seized the nearby Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, forcing its closure. The two facilities are the main terminals for the import of food, medicine and other goods vital to the survival of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians.

The Israeli advance did not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the city of Rafah that Israel had repeatedly promised. But aid workers warn that the prolonged closure of the two border crossings could lead to the collapse of aid operations and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the United Nations says a “full-blown famine” is already underway in the north.

The United States paused a load of bombs Last week he reached out to Israel amid fears that Israel was close to deciding to launch a full-scale attack on Rafah, which would further deepen divisions between the two close allies.

The United States is concerned about the fate of the roughly 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of them fled the fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and that a broader offensive is needed there to dismantle the group’s military and governance capabilities.

The USA, Egypt and Qatar are now increasing their efforts to close the gaps a possible agreement for at least a temporary ceasefire and the release of some of the numerous Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has linked the looming Rafah operation to the fate of these negotiations. CIA chief William Burns, who was traveling to the region for talks on the ceasefire agreement, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations .

With the capture of Rafah, Israel now controls all Gaza border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the area nearly two decades ago, although it has maintained a blockade most of the time in cooperation with Egypt. The Rafah border crossing has been a key channel for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and leave. Kerem Shalom is Gaza’s main cargo terminal.

Palestinian medics treat a girl injured in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti hospital in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

Associated Press journalists heard scattered explosions and gunfire in the area of the Rafah border crossing overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. The Israeli military reported six launches from Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Tuesday.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, said the Kerem Shalom crossing reopened early Wednesday. But Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s communications director, said no aid had arrived as of midday Wednesday and that the U.N. agency had been forced to ration fuel imported through Rafah.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, meanwhile, said at least 46 patients and wounded who were due to leave for medical treatment on Tuesday were stuck.

U.N. agencies and aid groups have increased humanitarian aid in recent weeks as Israel lifted some restrictions and opened an additional border crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally.

But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, the only gateway for the import of fuel for trucks and generators, could have serious repercussions, and the UN says the northern Gaza Strip is already in a state of crisis “full-blown famine.”

According to COGAT, 60 relief trucks arrived via the North Crossing on Tuesday. Before the war, around 500 trucks entered the Gaza Strip every day.

The war began when Hamas militants broke through Israeli defenses on October 7 swept through nearby army bases and farming communitiesAround 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and another 250 kidnapped. Hamas is believed to still be holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others, having released most of the rest as part of a ceasefire in November.

According to Gaza health officials, the war has killed over 34,800 Palestinians and forced about 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel’s military campaign was one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent historywhich reduced large parts of Gaza to rubble.

Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu not to launch an invasion of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to topple his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in ceasefire negotiations.

The US has historically provided enormous amounts of military aid to Israel, which has only accelerated since the war began.

The suspended shipment was to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs (900 kilograms) and 1,700 smaller bombs, with U.S. concerns focused on how the larger bombs could be used in a dense urban environment, a U.S. official said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official said no final decision has been made yet on how to proceed with the delivery.