US: Israel agrees to open border post for inspection of aid supplies
Israel has agreed to a request from the United States to open the Kerem Shalom crossing for the inspection of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. A senior American official said this on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Before the war, sixty percent of freight traffic to Gaza went via Kerem Shalom, a border crossing between Israel, Gaza and Egypt. Washington has been discussing with the Israelis for weeks about the possible opening of Kerem Shalom, to speed up the inspection process of the aid trucks.
The United Nations also urged Israel to deploy Kerem Shalom. UN Emergency Aid Coordinator Martin Griffiths called negotiations with Israel on this matter “promising” on Thursday.
The US official did not give a time frame for the opening of the border crossing.
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A truck carrying aid waits on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday to enter the Gaza Strip. Photo AFP
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This blog will follow NRC the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip and related developments. Read the previous blog here.