18, local time, an international rescue convoy tried to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing with Israel, but Israel closed the checkpoint on the grounds that the area was hit by mortars. Analysts say the move could affect the survival of people in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Office for the Coordination of Territorial Activities (COGAT) said an Israeli soldier was slightly wounded in the attack and decided to close the border point, Al Jazeera reported. “After firing mortar shells at the crossing point, it was decided to prevent other trucks from entering.”
Earlier, Karl Smbri, Middle East media adviser to the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Al Jazeera that the Gaza Strip would “suffocate” if the Kerem Shalom crossing remained closed. “Opening border crossings is absolutely necessary.” “The people of the Gaza Strip need not only essential goods, they now need important humanitarian assistance,” Smbri said. Israel needs to ensure that these items arrive safely. ”
Israeli air strikes have destroyed or severely damaged nearly 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip, displacing more than 52,000 Palestinians, the U.N. aid agency said Wednesday.
Jens Lake, a spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict damaged six hospitals, nine major medical centers and a desalination plant, affecting drinking water supplies for about 250,000 people.
It is reported that this is not the first time that Israel has closed the crossing points. 14, Israeli security officials revealed that Israel has banned fuel through Gaza crossing points.
At least 213 Palestinians, including 61 children, have been killed and about 1,500 injured since the israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out on October 10.
