Israel claims to open Erez crossing with Gaza to humanitarian aid

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army claimed on Wednesday evening to have opened the Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing with the Gaza Strip to humanitarian aid for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023.

“30 trucks of humanitarian aid including food and medical supplies for the northern part of Gaza arrived from Jordan and entered Gaza today,” a military statement said.

The terminal was closed by Israel following a Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7.

There was no Palestinian comment on the Israeli claim.

Gaza’s media office dismissed early Wednesday US and Israeli claims about an increase in humanitarian aid flow into the Gaza Strip.

Some 4,887 aid trucks entered Gaza, including 1,166 from Rafah crossing with Egypt and 3,721 from Kerem Shalom terminal with Israel, Salama Marouf, head of the media office, said in a statement.

“Only 419 aid trucks were allowed into northern Gaza,” he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday for getting more humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip.

"We have seen clear and demonstrable progress in getting more assistance into Gaza, but more needs to be done," said Blinken, who arrived in Israel on the last stop of a regional tour to push for a cease-fire deal in the Palestinian enclave.

"We are pressing to make sure aid is actually getting to people in an effective way, and that it includes more than just food — water, sanitation, medical supplies," he added.

Israel has waged a relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, which killed some 1,200 people.

More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed and over 76,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul