Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remained closed early Wednesday after an Israeli tank brigade seized it the previous day. Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunshots in the area overnight, including two large explosions early Wednesday.
Rafah has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and leave. Israel now controls all Gaza border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 46 patients and wounded who were scheduled to leave for medical treatment have been stranded.
U.N. agencies and aid groups have increased humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel lifted some restrictions and opened an additional northern crossing under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for fuel for trucks and generators, could have serious repercussions.
The UN says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”
The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused extensive destruction to apartments, hospitals, mosques and schools in several cities. The death toll in Gaza has reached more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
The war began in October. On September 7, Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 250 more. Israel says militants are still holding about 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
At the moment:
— The United States has stopped sending bombs to Israel to signal concern about the Rafah invasion, an official says.
— Israeli tanks have entered Rafah. What does this mean for the Palestinians taking refuge there?
— Scenes from Israel and Gaza reflect dashed hopes, as an imminent ceasefire appears unlikely.
— Israeli forces take control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
— The UN says there is a “full-blown famine” in northern Gaza. What does that mean?
Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Here’s the latest:
RAFAH, Gaza Strip – Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remained closed early Wednesday after an Israeli tank brigade seized it the previous day. Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunshots in the area overnight, including two large explosions early Wednesday.
Rafah has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and leave. Israel now controls all Gaza border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 46 patients and wounded who were scheduled to leave for medical treatment have been stranded.
U.N. agencies and aid groups have increased humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for fuel for trucks and generators, could have serious repercussions.
The UN says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”
The operation to capture the crossing appears to have been a limited raid and not the start of the massive invasion of Rafah that Israel has promised. But Israel has said it will expand the operation if ongoing indirect talks with Hamas over a ceasefire and the release of hostages fail to make progress.
The United States halted a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over fears that Israel was moving closer to a decision on launching a large-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday. the administration.
The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, in which the focus of U.S. concern is larger explosives. and how they are used. could be used in a dense urban environment. More than a million civilians are taking shelter in Rafah after evacuating other parts of Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas, which came after the militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 1, 2018. 7.
In April, President Joe Biden’s administration began reviewing future transfers of military assistance to Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government appeared to move closer to an invasion of Rafah, despite months of opposition from the White House.
The official said the decision to suspend shipping was made last week and a final decision had not yet been made on whether to continue shipping at a later date.
— By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI in Washington
WASHINGTON – The US military has completed construction of a temporary dock and causeway that will be used to deliver aid to Gaza via a maritime system, but plans to move it to the coast are on hold due to weather and other logistical issues.
Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters Tuesday that the US military ships and the assembled dock are located in the Israeli port of Ashdod. Strong winds and waves make it too dangerous for the US military to set up the pier on Gaza Beach.
Singh says the United States hopes to install the pier and causeway later this week, weather permitting.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid is being loaded onto a large container ship, the Sagamore, in Cyprus, for eventual delivery to Gaza, Singh said.
The United States hopes the pier can be used to bring more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where the UN says there is a full-blown famine in the north.
UNITED NATIONS – Diesel fuel critical to pumping drinking water, maintaining communications and delivering aid in Gaza will run out on Wednesday and food already in the south is estimated to be gone by the end of the week, a senior official said. humanitarian aid after Israel’s closure. the two key crossing points into the territory.
Andrea De Domenico, head of the U.N. humanitarian office in the Palestinian territories, said Tuesday that Israel’s military operation and evacuation order in Rafah have resulted in “the forced displacement of tens of thousands of people.”
The area that Israel told the Palestinians to go to is mainly sand dunes and has no latrines, water points, drainage, shelter or health facilities, De Domenico said in a virtual news conference from Jerusalem.
The Israelis are not on the ground providing services and are looking for humanitarian partners, he said. And it is impossible to improve conditions without the arrival of supplies and fuel to transport them to new places.
Without fuel and more flour, he said, the 16 bakeries supported by the UN World Food Program throughout Gaza will be forced to suspend operations. If supplemental nutritional supplies cannot be delivered, treatment for more than 3,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition will be interrupted, she said, and three of the remaining major hospitals will be “inoperable.”
De Domenico said the UN normally uses 200,000 liters of diesel fuel a day in Gaza. As of Tuesday night it had 30,000 liters left.
Without a fuel delivery on Wednesday, he said, the main water production facility in the north will be closed, “depriving the entire population of access to drinking water.” The same closure will occur within a day in central and southern Gaza and will affect 1.9 million people.
“The reality is that we are facing a situation where we probably have one of the least resilient populations in Gaza due to seven months of war in one of the most violent and deadly conflicts that we have seen in recent years,” he said.
De Domenico said there is a risk that humanitarian assistance will not be available in the coming days unless a way is found to bring in and maintain aid deliveries.
The Israelis have assured the UN that they are working on ways to bring in more fuel, hopefully on Wednesday, he said, and said they hope to reopen the crossings quickly, but did not give a timetable.