After after taking over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossingthe Israeli army has closed all access to Gaza and suspended humanitarian aid access. The UN has raised the alarm because there are no supplies in the Gaza Strip and the international aid arriving every day is crucial for Gazans, many of whom are already on the brink of famine.
The spokesperson for the United Nations Humanitarian Coordination Office (OCHA), Jens Laerke, has reported that the two border crossings in southern Gaza, Rafah and Kerem Shalom, are currently closed, both to goods and people. “The two main routes to get aid into Gaza are currently blocked,” Laerke said at a press conference in Geneva.
“Without a doubt, this morning is one of the darkest in this seven-month nightmare,” the spokesman added, referring to the Gaza war, which began on October 7 and has claimed the lives of nearly 35,000 Palestinians. At least 18 people were killed this morning in the city of Rafah, which has been the target of continuous bombardment by the Israeli army throughout the night.
Since last night, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have intensified attacks on the eastern Rafah area Computer will be evacuated first on Mondayin the context of the “operation” launched this Monday and which the Israeli War Cabinet has decided to continue despite international pressure and condemnation.
“The IDF is ignoring all warnings about what this could mean for civilians and for humanitarian operations throughout the Gaza Strip,” Laerke complained. Rafah “is the only access point for fuel; diesel for trucks, generators [eléctricos]communications equipment, etc. are at risk,” he explained.
The border crossing at Kerem Shalom – from where aid entered Gaza following an inspection by the Israeli side – will also remain closed for the second day in a row this Monday, after the armed wing of Hamas launched several rockets on Sunday at Israeli troops who were in the area. and killed four soldiers.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regrets the closure of both border crossings, which is “particularly damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation.” “They must be reopened immediately,” he declared in New York. Guterres has urged the “Government of Israel to stop any escalation.”
Images from the military and on social networks show the Israeli flag raised at the border crossing connecting Gaza with Egypt. The IDF has justified the seizure of Rafah by claiming the border crossing was being used “for terrorist purposes”; Additionally, they released a video showing their troops entering the border crossing.
The Gaza government, controlled by Hamas, has denounced Israel's closure of all borderlands, including Kerem Shalom – close to Rafah, which connects Israel to the Gaza Strip – and suspension of humanitarian aid access, making the “tragic” situation is exacerbated. . “We condemn the attack and closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings by the occupying army, and the occupying army's decision to suspend aid,” authorities said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry has warned about the situation in Gaza hospitals, which need fuel for generators, as electricity supplies have been cut by Israel since the start of the war. In a statement, he denounced that with the closure of Rafah, neither medicines nor other essential medical supplies, supplied by the World Health Organization and others, can reach medical centers. Moreover, the injured and chronically ill who leave the Strip every day after being allowed to cross Rafah towards Egypt were unable to leave Gaza. The health service has assured that their evacuation is “urgent” so that they can receive medical treatment.