Israel, UN signal progress in talks to open Gaza crossing
- Opening the Kerem Shalom crossing would be a boost for humanitarian aid logistics
- Rafah border crossing with Egypt is the only one currently open for aid into Gaza
Israel and the United Nations signalled on Thursday that the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel could soon be opened to help speed up delivery of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, where the Israel-Hamas war has left people desperately short of basic needs.
In Israel, Colonel Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT, the Israeli agency for civilian coordination with the Palestinians, told reporters: “We will open Kerem Shalom just for inspection. It will happen in the next few days”.
A senior US official said that Israel has agreed, at US request, to open Kerem Shalom crossing for inspections and screening. Washington has been negotiating with the Israelis on the issue for weeks.
In Geneva, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths told reporters that negotiations were under way. “There are promising signs now that that may be able to open soon,” he said.
If that were to happen, Griffiths said it would represent a major boost for humanitarian operations seeking more access to the densely populated Palestinian enclave, which has been widely devastated by Israeli bombardment in the two-month-old war.