Israel, UN signal progress in talks to open Gaza crossing
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A view of Palestinian goods trucks in front of the commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom on Sept 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
GENEVA – Israel and the United Nations signalled on Dec 7 that the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel could soon be opened to allow more humanitarian supplies into Gaza, where the Israel-Hamas war has left people desperately short of basic needs.
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 United States 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, UN 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 the opening were to happen, he 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.
“It would be the first miracle we’ve seen for some weeks, but would also be a huge boost to the logistical process and logistical base of a humanitarian operation,” he said about the possible opening of Kerem Shalom.
He said the warring parties were more willing to open the crossing “probably not in one go, but certainly gradually”.
Aid currently being allowed into Gaza comes only through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border,
The Kerem Shalom crossing was used to carry more than 60 per cent of the truckloads going into Gaza before war erupted on Oct 7. It sits at Gaza’s southern border with Israel and Egypt, and Mr Griffiths said both Israel and Egypt had become much more open to the idea of reviving the route.
Israel, US, UN and Egypt in talks
Colonel Goren said a Cogat team was engaged in discussions with the US, UN and Egypt on how to raise the volume of humanitarian assistance. He said Israel would like the international community to increase its capabilities.
“We won’t be the problem. We will adjust ourselves for all the needs. The needs are up to the UN. If they will tell us that there is a need for 200 trucks and they have the capabilities to take it, it’s not a problem,” he said.
There are initial approvals from all parties including Israel to speed up delivery of aid by opening Kerem Shalom in addition to Rafah, according to two Egyptian security services.
Final arrangements are being made for the opening of the crossing with an accelerated inspection system involving the UN, the sources said.
Israeli attacks on Gaza after a short-lived truce have forced thousands of people to flee to the south of the enclave, prompting fears among aid and health organisations that overcrowding and the lack of food and clean water could spread disease.
Mr Griffiths deplored the precarious state of aid efforts, saying “we do not have a humanitarian operation in southern Gaza that can be called by that name anymore”.
“The pace of the military assault in southern Gaza is a repeat of the assault in northern Gaza,” he added, referring to a part of the enclave that has been largely cut off from humanitarian aid.
Mr Griffiths described the aid operation in Gaza as “at best humanitarian opportunism,” where humanitarian workers were struggling to get the most essential supplies to people in dire need.
“It’s erratic. It’s undependable,” he said of the aid operation. “And frankly, it’s not sustainable.” REUTERS
