Israel will partially reopen its only goods crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip later Tuesday, a minister said, after closing it July 9 over border tensions and kites carrying firebombs to burn Israeli farmland.
Lieberman’s office said:
“Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman decided that Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) will partially reopen and as of today at 12:00 pm [0900 GMT] it will be possible to transfer gas and fuel into the Gaza Strip, in addition to food and medicine.”
BREAKING: Israel announces it will partially reopen Gaza's only commercial crossing https://t.co/DcCkreFWKB
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) July 24, 2018
The partial reopening follows urgent warnings from United Nations officials that emergency fuel supplies are running low in the Gaza Strip and that the shortage is starting to affect hospitals and water sanitation.
The coastal enclave suffers from a severe lack of electricity and relies on fuel-powered generators during outages that last hours at a time.
The Children of Gaza are finding their voice. As over1000children demonstrate against Israel's attack on their childhood in the vicinity of Erez Crossing in the Gaza Strip. They address the world themselves. They tell their stories and their ambitions for a better life. pic.twitter.com/9hfruZaKm5
— RêĘm Ăl-Ħāddåđ #Gaza (@Reem99383667) July 24, 2018
Israel and Hamas, the movement that runs the Gaza Strip, reached a ceasefire at the weekend following a major flare-up of violence Friday.
Israel had carried out a wave of airstrikes killing four Palestinians.
Essam #Youssef: ‘Israel Is Starving #Gaza’ https://t.co/ulG9tSLIO3 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/azwUHDPAoa
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 21, 2018
Karam Abu Salem is the only crossing open to transport goods into and out of Gaza, including fuel and food.
The UN has warned that Gaza would be “unlivable” by 2020 due to Israel’s land and sea blockade, which began after Hamas took control of the Strip in 2007.
(Al-Araby Al Jadeed, PC, Social Media)
