Israel wants to use an additional checkpoint to control aid to Gaza
Previously, the Israeli-Egyptian border crossing Nitzana had already been used to check aid supplies. By using both checkpoints for inspections, the amount of aid delivered to the Gaza Strip could be "doubled", explained the Israeli army in the short message service X, formerly Twitter. According to the statement, trucks carrying "water, food, medical supplies and shelter equipment" are to be checked.
The Israeli army and the country's Ministry of Defense stressed that no aid would reach the Gaza Strip from Israel, only from Egypt. The Nitzana crossing is located on the border between Israel and Egypt, while the Kerem Shalom crossing is in the border triangle between Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) stated on Sunday that around one hundred trucks carrying aid are currently entering the Gaza Strip every day. Before the start of the war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas on 7 October, there were around 500 every day.
The war was triggered by an unprecedented large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel. Hundreds of fighters from the Palestinian organization, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, invaded Israel and committed atrocities, mainly against civilians. According to Israeli reports, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel largely sealed off the densely populated coastal strip and began air strikes and a ground offensive. According to Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 18,200 people were killed. The United Nations General Assembly will discuss the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
fs/se/kas
Read also:
- This will change in December
- German activists speak out in Dubai on suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip
- Nuclear fusion - hype or solution to energy problems?
- Budget crisis fuels debate on citizen's income - Bas warns against populism
- Israel hopes that utilizing an additional checkpoint at the border crossing Rafah will further enhance their ability to regulate aid delivery to Gaza.
- The Gaza Strip is in dire need of additional helpful goods, such as water, food, and medical supplies, which Israel aims to monitor through this new checkpoint.
- At the Kerem Shalom crossing, Israel has been controlling aid entering the Gaza Strip, restricting the flow to goods coming from Egypt specifically.
- Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian organization, is not involved in the distribution of aid from Israel; rather, they are only allowed to receive aid through Egypt's assistance.
- Israel wants to ensure that no goods intended for the Gaza Strip bypass their inspection processes and reach the strip unchecked, so they've decided to use both Nitzana and Rafah for inspections.
- The Israeli Ministry of Defense has announced that an increased use of the border crossing Rafah would significantly boost the amount of aid reaching the Gaza Strip, potentially doubling it.
- Israel has expressed concerns that the Palestinian organization Hamas could misuse aid supplies, as they did during the earlier attacks, making thorough inspections at both checkpoints necessary.
- On average, around one hundred trucks carrying aid enter the Gaza Strip every day, according to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
- The Israeli military has been using Twitter to disseminate important messages about the aid distribution in the Gaza Strip, highlighting their commitment to ensuring that aid reaches its intended recipients while maintaining border security.
Source: www.stern.de
