Hamas says its forces launched a rocket attack on a military target near the Karem Abu Salem crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Israel closed the main humanitarian aid crossing point into Gaza after a Palestinian armed group fired rockets at a military base in southern Israel near the site, killing three soldiers.
The Israeli army announced Sunday that it had closed the Karem Abu Salem crossing, which Israel calls the Kerem Shalom crossing, to help convoys after the attack.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said the attack targeted a group of Israeli forces in and around the crossing area.
In a video released later, he said the rockets hit the Israeli army’s “command headquarters and mobilizations” in the process, “leaving soldiers dead and injured.”
The Israeli military said it detected 10 projectiles launched from the town of Rafah in southern Gaza towards the area. He added that he had detected and struck the source of the fire and other Hamas military infrastructure.
The Eshkol regional council, cited by Israeli media, said the rockets hit an open area near a military position.
The Israeli president said Hamas “attacked humanitarian aid because it does not care about humanity.”
“The world must act to free the hostages and liberate the people of Gaza from the vicious Hamas regime,” President Isaac Herzog said in a message on X.
Hamas attacks humanitarian aid because it does not care about humanity.
The world must act to free the hostages and free the people of Gaza from the cruel Hamas regime.
– by Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) May 5, 2024
The crossing was one of the key crossings for aid entering the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli authorities announced its reopening in mid-December following growing pressure from the United States amid the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Despite its reopening, Israeli authorities have authorized only minimal aid needed to meet needs inside the Palestinian territory.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, said the targeted military base was used as a launching pad for Israeli attacks on targets in Rafah.
He said the attack occurred as ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, appeared to be at an impasse.
The attack “could be a sign that the negotiations are really at an impasse,” Abou Azzoum said.
Egyptian and Qatari negotiators were in Egypt following renewed efforts to reach a deal to end the fighting and secure the release of more than 100 captives held by Palestinian groups in Gaza since October.
But points of friction remain. Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire and guarantees that Israel will not launch a ground invasion in Rafah. Israel has long insisted that the attack would take place regardless of whether a ceasefire agreement was reached.
At least 34,683 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and 78,018 injured in Israel’s attack on Gaza since October, according to Palestinian authorities.
Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas carried out an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, most of them civilians, according to an Tel Aviv Tribune tally based on Israeli statistics. .