Bassem Ghaben, director of the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing, was working to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
An Israeli air raid killed a Palestinian border crossing manager in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian officials and Hamas.
Bassem Ghaben, the director of the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing – called Kerem Shalom in Israel – was killed along with three others by Israeli fire, Gaza health and border authorities announced Thursday.
It worked to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave through the crossing opened on Friday, said Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from the southern town of Rafah, about 3 kilometers from the crossing point. control.
Mahmoud said the attack showed that the Israeli army is not only targeting infrastructure and homes, but also places Palestinians rely on for “the humanitarian aid they need for their survival.”
“This is part of an ongoing systematic campaign of destruction,” our correspondent said. “We don’t know if the passage will continue to operate.”
The Israeli military said it was not involved in the attack on Karem Abu Salem, saying it was not “familiar” with the incident.
The crossing, located at the southern tip of Gaza on the border with Israel, was allowed to temporarily reopen on Friday to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, where 1.9 million people are displaced and in desperate need. food, water and medicine.
Previously, aid was limited to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
“Pure destruction”
The assassination of the border chief came as Israeli raids pounded all areas of the besieged strip, hitting 230 targets in just 24 hours, according to the Israeli military.
The most intense bombardment took place in the northern part of the enclave, where there are no functioning hospitals. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that only nine out of 36 health facilities are still partially operating in the enclave, and all of them are based in southern Gaza.
Strikes also hit the southern town of Khan Younis, killing 55 people in the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. Israel has now ordered Palestinians to leave large parts of the southern city, sparking widespread fear, Mahmoud reported.
Israeli attacks hit parts of Rafah, where most displaced Palestinians sought refuge.
An elderly Palestinian from Rafah told Tel Aviv Tribune he had never seen the level of violence Gaza endures in his entire life. “I am 76 years old and I have lived through many wars and conflicts. But I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “The scale of the systemic destruction and massacre of civilians is shocking. »
Ten weeks of Israeli attacks have killed more than 20,000 Palestinians, including 8,000 children. Rescuers warned that due to continued bombardment they could not reach many injured people in northern Gaza. Palestinian health officials said they lacked basic medicines and equipment to treat the wounded and sick.
