Israeli cabinet approves reopening northern Gaza border crossing for first time since October 7, official says
Israeli cabinet approves reopening northern Gaza border crossing for first time since October 7, official says
By Jeremy Diamond, Tara John and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 8:35 AM EDT, Fri April 5, 2024
Israeli soldiers deployed at the Erez border with heavy weapons and military vehicles on February 29, 2024. Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu/Getty ImagesCNN —
Israel has approved the reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza for the first time since the October 7 Hamas attacks, a decision that came soon after US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to allow in aid.
An Israeli official told CNN the crossing would be opened to allow more humanitarian aid to enter blockaded Gaza. The Israeli cabinet also approved using the Israeli Port of Ashdod to help transfer more aid to Gaza.
Erez is expected to receive the first humanitarian aid shipments into the enclave on Sunday, Israeli officials told CNN, adding that aid shipments will also begin flowing into Ashdod port on Sunday.
Hisham Adwan, Director of the Gaza Crossings and Borders Authority, which operates the Gaza side of the crossing, told CNN on Friday that “we have not been informed of anything new regarding the crossings,” adding that his team was also unable to assess the extent of the damage caused by the war.
Israel’s move comes after Biden said Thursday that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza had become unacceptable in a call with Netanyahu and warned Israel to take steps to address the crisis or face consequences.
The Erez crossing, a pedestrian passageway, was one of the border points breached by Hamas fighters on October 7 when they launched their bloody attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage.
It remains unclear how the reopening will be implemented; the volumes of aid deliveries that have been allowed through crossings in Gaza’s southern border so far have been insufficient compared to the scale of human suffering in the territory.
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The United Nations welcomed news of the reopening cautiously. “This is positive news but, of course, we will have to see how this is implemented. We need a humanitarian ceasefire and a massive influx of aid,” spokesperson to the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said Thursday.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Friday said the news offered a “glimmer of hope” amid a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The Council’s Secretary General Jan Egeland stressed Israel needed to show “tangible improvement in the situation for civilians on the ground.”
The UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the principal aid agency for Gaza, has been sidelined by Israel and remains restricted in parts of the enclave – particularly the north where the risk of famine is the highest and cases of death by starvation have been reported.
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Since January, residents of northern Gaza have been forced to survive on an average of just 245 calories a day, according to Oxfam.
Thursday’s announcement also comes amid mounting international fury over Israeli strikes that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the deaths, but maintains the attack was not intentional.
What is the Erez crossing?
Located north of the Gaza Strip, Erez (or Beit Hanoon) was the main crossing for the movement of people between Israel and Gaza before Israeli authorities closed it following the October 7 Hamas attack.
It is primarily a pedestrian crossing but can also be used for road supplies.
Before the war, the majority of those traveling through Erez were Palestinian residents of Gaza who entered Israel for medical treatment or business purposes, according to the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs. Staff working for international organizations in Gaza also u
