Israel-Hamas war: Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza reopens after rocket attack

[Pelican Press 0]

*******-****** war: Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza reopens after rocket *******

JERUSALEM (AP) — The ******** military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the ************ side after workers fled during *******’s military incursion in the area.

The Kerem Shalom crossing between Gaza and ******* was closed over the weekend after a ****** rocket ******* ******* four ******** soldiers nearby, and on Tuesday, an ******** tank brigade seized the nearby Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, forcing its closure. The two facilities are the main terminals for entry of food, medicine and other supplies essential for the survival of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians.

The ******** foray did not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the city of Rafah that ******* has repeatedly promised. But aid officials warn that the 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 ******* States paused a shipment of ****** to ******* last week over concerns that ******* was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale ******** 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. ******* says Rafah is ******’ 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 meanwhile ramping up efforts to close the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary cease-***** and the release of some of the scores of ******** hostages still held by ******. ******* 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-***** deal, met Wednesday with ******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations.

With the seizure of Rafah, ******* 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.

************ medics treat a girl that was wounded in the ******** bombardment of the Gaza Strip at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah ******** camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub)

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

COGAT, the ******** military body in charge of ************ civilian affairs, said the Kerem Shalom crossing reopened early Wednesday. But Juliette Touma, the director of communications for UNRWA, said no aid had entered as of midday Wednesday and that the U.N. agency had been forced to ration fuel, which is imported through Rafah.

Gaza’s Health Ministry meanwhile said at least 46 patients and wounded people who had been scheduled to leave Tuesday for medical treatment have been left stranded.

U.N. agencies and aid groups have ramped up humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as ******* has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the ******* States, its closest ally.

But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for the entry of fuel for trucks and generators, could have severe repercussions, and the U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”

COGAT said 60 aid trucks entered through the northern crossing on Tuesday. Some 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the war.

The war began when ****** militants breached *******’s defenses on Oct. 7 and swept through nearby army bases and farming communities, ******** some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. ****** is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the ******** of more than 30 others after most of the rest were released during a November cease-*****.

The war has ******* over 34,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and has driven some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. *******’s military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.

Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against launching an invasion of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in the cease-***** talks.

The U.S. has historically provided ******* enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.

The paused shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) ****** and 1,700 smaller ones, with the U.S. concern focused on how the larger ****** could be used in a dense urban setting, a U.S. official said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official said no final decision had been made yet on proceeding with the shipment.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, *******. Associated Press journalists Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.

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