Israel unveiled it will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza on Tuesday to allow the gradual entry of humanitarian aid into the war-torn territory, according to AFP.
The move seeks to ease the humanitarian crisis after border points were shut amid joint Israeli-US strikes on Iran.
The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting its leadership and triggering a new conflict in the Middle East.
In response, Iran launched a wave of counterattacks in Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as a retaliatory move, while launching barrages of missiles and drones toward Israel. One of these strikes had killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The decision to reopen the crossing was taken “in accordance with a security assessment,” the Israeli Defense Ministry’s COGAT unit, which oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said.
It also comes amid urgent calls from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to reopen Gaza’s border crossings.
Located in Israel, the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) crossing is under the full control of the Israeli military.
Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing, Gaza’s sole gateway to the outside world, reopened for the movement of people on February 2.
This came roughly two years after it was closed following Israel’s military takeover.
The closure, imposed during Israel’s devastating war in the Palestinian enclave, had left thousands of residents stranded without access to essential services, medical care, and basic human needs.
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