Israel reopens key Rafah crossing for aid to enter Gaza, as US pauses bomb shipment
- 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
- The paused shipment of bombs is the most striking manifestation of the growing rift between Netanyahu’s Israeli government and Joe Biden’s administration
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
The reopening of the crossing comes as the US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah, a senior Biden administration official said on Tuesday.
The pausing of the shipment is the most striking manifestation of the growing daylight between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has called on Israel to do far more to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza.
Israel has nothing to add to reports Washington halted the supply of some munitions, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
He said he had heard the reports but added “I personally and the Israeli government do not have anything to add on these reports”
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said no aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side. Workers fled during an incursion by an Israeli tank brigade on Tuesday that captured the nearby Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which remains closed.
