Brian McDonald
Jerusalem — The Israeli military said Wednesday it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for incoming humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
An Israeli tank brigade seized the intersection near Rafah between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, and remained closed, but this limited incursion does not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the crowded southern city that Israel has repeatedly promised.
The imminent operation threatens to widen the rift between Israel and its main backer, the United States, which says it is concerned about the fate of some 1.3 million Palestinians huddled in Rafah, most of whom have fled fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and that a broader offensive there is needed to dismantle the group’s military and government capabilities.
Ramez Habboub/AP
A senior Biden administration official confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday night that the US halted a weapons shipment to Israel last week due to concerns about how such weapons could be used in a potential ground operation in Rafah.
The White House position is that Israel “should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah,” the official said.
The halted shipment included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, the official said.
The official said the White House was “particularly focused” on the “end use” of the 2,000-pound bombs and the “impact” these bombs could have in “dense urban environments.”
“We have not made a final decision on how to proceed with this submission”, and other submissions are under analysis, revealed the person in charge.
The US has historically provided Israel with enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.
AFP via Getty Images
The US, Egypt and Qatar, meanwhile, are intensifying efforts to plug the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary ceasefire and the release of some of the dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of these negotiations.
Hamas said Monday approved a ceasefire proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said that what Hamas agreed to was “far from meeting Israel’s main demands.”
The Rafah crossing has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Israel now controls all Gaza border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, although it has maintained a blockade on Egyptian cooperation for most of that time.
Associated Press journalists heard explosions and sporadic gunfire in the Rafah crossing area overnight, including two large explosions on Wednesday morning. The Israeli military reported six launches from Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said at least 46 patients and wounded who were scheduled to leave on Tuesday for medical treatment were stranded.
UN agencies and aid groups have increased humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only entry point for fuel for trucks and generators, could have serious repercussions.
The UN says that northern Gaza is already in a state of “total famine”.
The war began when Hamas militants breached Israel’s defenses on October 7 and raided military bases and nearby farming communities, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. Hamas is believed to still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire in November.
The war it has killed more than 34,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and driven about 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel’s military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.
President Biden has repeatedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching an invasion in Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to overthrow his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in ceasefire negotiations.
