Israel Announce The Reopening Of Erez Border

Image courtesy: (Marcus Yam) at Erez crossing

(The Post News)- On Thursday, Israel’s security cabinet approved the reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza for the first time since October 7th; however, the crossing would be opened to allow more humanitarian aid to enter blockaded Gaza. The opening of the border wasn’t something that the Israelis did out of their kindness; this comes after the international fury over Israeli strikes that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in Gaza.

According to an Israeli official statement, the cabinet also approved using the Israeli Port of Ashdod to help transfer more aid to Gaza. 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. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that he vowed to halt the supply of electricity, food, water, and fuel to the Palestinians.

Based on the report by Jeremy Diamond, Tara John, and Nadeen Ebrahim, the decision to reopen the border comes after US President Joe Biden said that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza had become unacceptable in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned Israel to take steps to address the crisis or face consequences. It remains unclear how the reopening will be implemented; the volumes of aid deliveries that have been allowed through crossings on Gaza’s southern border so far have been insufficient compared to the scale of human suffering in the territory. Before the war started, Israel restricted all access to and from Gaza by sea and air and kept land crossings under tight control.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, said, “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.” The UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said, “The principal aid agency for Gaza has been side lined 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.” However, the land crossings into Gaza, through which the bulk of vital aid has traditionally entered the territory, remain heavily restricted by Israel.