Israeli forces have taken control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid and a potential sanctuary for civilians following a construction offensive.
The Israeli military said Tuesday it had taken “operational control” of the Gaza side of the border crossing, which connects the besieged enclave to Egypt. The closure of the crucial crossing and the positioning of tanks in central Rafah is seen as a demonstration of Israel’s determination to continue its assault on the southern city despite ongoing truce talks.
The 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing early Tuesday, the Israeli military said, closing a vital route for aid entering Gaza and for any civilians able to flee the fighting into Egypt.
The army claimed the crossing was “used for terrorist purposes,” saying Hamas’ mortar attack Sunday on the Karem Abu Salem crossing, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, which remains closed, had been launched from the surrounding area. However, she has so far provided no evidence.
IDF troops managed to establish operational control on the Gaza side of the crossing following reports that the Rafah crossing in eastern Rafah was being used for terrorist purposes. This is after mortars were fired from the Rafah crossing area towards the…
– Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 7, 2024
The operation took place amid a nighttime attack on the city’s eastern neighborhoods. Fighter jets pounded homes, killing at least 12 people.
The Israeli military said in a statement it struck numerous Hamas targets in eastern Rafah, killing around 20 fighters.
A spokesperson for the Palestinian Crossings Authority admitted to the Associated Press news agency that Israeli forces had seized the crossing and closed it for the time being.
“It was a very difficult night,” Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud reported from Rafah. “It was very violent, very bloody and full of destruction.”
The attack comes as Hamas said Monday it had accepted the terms of a truce deal reached by mediators.
However, pressed by radical nationalist coalition partners who have demanded an all-out offensive on Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears ready to press ahead regardless.
Trap
Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Rafah that the Israeli army carried out an incursion on the eastern side of Rafah, during which there were heavy exchanges of fire with Hamas fighters amid an intense bombing campaign , with the main objective of taking control of the passage.
Israeli control of the border crossing “is devastating because… Palestinians will no longer be able to leave the territory,” he said.
Despite urgent warnings from its closest allies that an offensive on the city risks significant civilian casualties, Israel insists its plans will allow it to clear Rafah and continue attacking the command and fighters of Hamas.
“The Rafah offensive has resumed, despite all the demands from the international community, from the United States, from the member states of the European Union, and from everyone asking Netanyahu not to attack,” he told reporters on Tuesday. journalists Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat. “I am afraid that this will again cause many victims, civilian victims. Whatever they say,” he said, adding: “There are no safe zones in Gaza.”
Israeli forces caused panic on Monday by ordering around 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah – most of whom were displaced following previous instructions from the Israeli army – to evacuate.
The Israeli military reiterated on Tuesday that it had “encouraged” displaced people and international humanitarian organizations operating in eastern Rafah to “temporarily evacuate”.
However, people taking refuge in Rafah, in deplorable conditions, with little shelter, food or medicine, have few places to go.
Closing the border crossing only threatens to worsen these shortages and trap more people close to the fighting.
Sources from three aid agencies told the Reuters news agency that aid shipments had been halted due to the closure of the crossing.
The latest Israeli operation sees them pushed towards al-Mawasi, on the coast, where the army says it has set up field hospitals, tents and medical equipment.
“The Israeli army… is strategically cutting off the Gaza Strip and cutting off the region,” suggested Tel Aviv Tribune’s Mahmoud.
“With the Israeli military presence there at the moment, we can say with certainty that we are facing a very difficult situation in terms of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he said.
“At the same time, when we look at the location of the Rafah crossing, almost in the center of the city, it indicates that we are very close to a total invasion of Rafah.”