Israel reopens Kerem Shalom crossing for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza | World

Israel stated that it reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing this Wednesday (8) for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Army closed the crossing, which is south of the territory, on Sunday (5) after Hamas bombing nearby killed four soldiers.

After the release, aid trucks from Egypt bringing food, water, medicines and other supplies and equipment donated by the international community arrived in the region. Israel’s Defense Ministry says all vehicles are undergoing security inspections before crossing the border.

The place is considered the last refuge for more than 1 million Palestinians from all regions of the Gaza Strip who had to abandon their homes and migrate south due to the war — the Israeli military campaign began attacks in the north of the territory and continued south.

Israel claims that Rafah, on the southern tip of Gaza, is Hamas’ last stronghold and therefore the last battlefront to complete its war against the terrorist group.

Since the start of the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, on October 7, 2023, the city has served as Gaza’s main point of communication with the rest of the world.

Rafah has served as the entry point for most humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, and was an exit point for foreigners who were in Gaza and received authorization to leave the territory — as well as hostages released by Hamas during the November ceasefire 2023.

As the war progressed, Rafah began to receive many refugees and saw its population explode from around 280,000 people to 1.5 million, who were temporarily housed in tents.

According to Reuters, an Israeli official stated that the terms of the proposal were softened by Egypt and that Tel Aviv cannot accept it. He said Hamas apparently accepted the ceasefire so that the Israelis would be seen as the party refusing to reach an agreement.

The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson stated that the country is still studying how it will respond to the proposal, but that for now they will continue operating in the Gaza Strip.

There was celebration by Palestinians in Rafah following the news about a possible ceasefire. But Israel’s war cabinet did not back down from its plans to bomb the city, displace its population and carry out a land incursion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Egypt and Qatar’s proposal was “far from Israel’s essential demands” but that it would still send negotiators to Cairo to continue talks on a ceasefire agreement.