Officials stated that the Israeli military took charge of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) tanks entered the southern city of Gaza, which is home to around 1.3 million people.
This move to take control of the border crossing, crucial for providing humanitarian aid, comes after the militant group Hamas declared its acceptance of a Qatari-Egyptian cease-fire proposal. However, Israel would agree claimed that the proposed deal was insufficient. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes on more than 50 targets on the Gaza side of Rafah. The planned incursion into the region has sparked criticism, with President Biden and his administration cautioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against proceeding with the operation.
The IDF said On Monday, Israel instructed about 100,000 residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate, a day before the Israeli 401st Brigade entered the crossing, as per a report by The Associated Press.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a humanitarian agency for Palestinians in Gaza supplying food and medicine, announced on Tuesday that it will remain in Rafah despite Israel’s incursion. Both Rafah and Kerem Shalom, the two primary entry points for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, have been closed for the past two days, according to the AP. The director of planning at UNRWA, Sam Rose, told Al Jazeera English, “We are remaining in our current location. The concern is our ability to continue providing assistance over an extended period if the crossings remain closed.”
According to the AP, overnight, the Israeli military carried out the killing of 23 Palestinians. In response, Gaza’s Interior Ministry strongly criticized the Israeli military operation in the area and stated that the crossing does not pose a threat to the IDF.
The ministry asserted on Tuesday that the Rafah crossing is a civilian service facility and is the main supply line for citizens in the Gaza Strip. They emphasized that the crossing does not present any danger to the Israeli occupation. told The conflict in Gaza, which commenced on Oct. 7 following Hamas’s attacks on Israel, has forced approximately 80 percent of the territory’s population to flee their homes, as reported by the AP. The death toll in the region has climbed to over 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
Officials disclosed that Israel's military took control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza on Tuesday. The IDF's tanks entered the southern city of Gaza, where approximately 1.3 million people reside, early on Tuesday. This seizure of the border crossing, which is vital for the distribution of humanitarian aid, follows Hamas's…
“The Rafah crossing is a civilian service facility and constitutes the main lifeline for citizens in the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement Tuesday. “The crossing does not represent any threat to the Israeli occupation.”
The war in Gaza, which began on Oct. 7 after Hamas launched strikes on Israel, has driven around 80 percent of the territory’s population from their homes, the AP reported. The death toll in the region has risen to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
