Israeli tanks yesterday seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The UN warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of Rafah and the other main crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom, at a time when officials say the northern part of the enclave is already experiencing “full-blown famine.”
The Israeli foray overnight came after hours of whiplash in the Israel-Hamas war, with the militant group on Monday saying that it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari mediated ceasefire proposal.
Photo: AFP
Israel said that the deal did not meet its core demands.
The high-stakes diplomatic moves and military brinkmanship left a glimmer of hope alive — if only barely — for a deal to bring at least a pause in the war.
The incursion appeared to be short of the full-fledged offensive into Rafah that Israel has planned and it was not immediately known if it would be expanded.
The looming operation threatens to widen a rift between Israel and its main backer, the US, which says it is concerned over the fate of about 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into the city.
US President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again on Monday against launching an invasion of the city after Israel ordered 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate from parts of Rafah.
Cheers of joy overnight among Rafah’s Palestinians over Hamas’ acceptance of the ceasefire turned to fear yesterday. Families fled in a steady stream out of Rafah’s eastern neighborhoods on foot or in vehicles and donkey carts piled with mattresses and supplies. Children watched as parents disassembled tents in the sprawling camps that have filled Rafah for months to move to their next destination — which for many remained uncertain.
“Netanyahu only cares about coming out on top. He doesn’t care about children. I don’t think he’ll agree” to a deal, said Najwa al-Saksuk as her family packed up.
Israeli strikes rang out and raised plumes of black smoke.
The Israeli 401st Brigade entered the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing early yesterday, the Israeli military said, taking “operational control” of it.
Footage released by the military showed Israeli flags flying from tanks that seized the area.
It also said that ground troops and airstrikes targeted suspected Hamas positions in Rafah.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel are critical points of entry for food, medicine and other supplies keeping Gaza’s population of 2.3 million alive. They have been closed for at least the past two days.
Israeli authorities denied the UN humanitarian affairs office access to the Rafah crossing yesterday, its spokesman Jens Laerke said, warning that the disruption could break the fragile aid operation.
All fuel for aid trucks and generators comes through Rafah, and Laerke said they have a “very, very short buffer of about one day of fuel.”
“If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time, it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave,” he said.
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