Under heavy international pressure to minimize the operation in Rafah, US threats to stop arms shipments to Israel completely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet on Wednesday ordered the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing, only three days after a barrage from Rafah that left four IDF soldiers dead.
“Today, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. This follows its closure due to rocket fire by the Hamas terrorist organization toward the area of the crossing,” COGAT and the IDF said in a joint statement, adding, “Trucks from Egypt carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, shelter equipment, medicine, and medical equipment donated by the international community are already arriving at the crossing.”
The crossing was reopened Wednesday morning at the insistence of the White House, following the phone conversation between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, even though rocket fire continued to target Kerem Shalom on Tuesday.
COGAT stressed that “all the humanitarian aid comes in after a careful security check by the Land Crossings Authority security guards at the defense ministry.”
The Defense Ministry said that it “updated the US government and international organizations regarding the re-opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing.”
