The war between Israel and Gaza, live | Israel will open the Erez crossing “as soon as possible,” according to the Defense Minister

Israel's Defense Minister says they will open the Erez crossing “as soon as possible”

The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, assured this Wednesday that the opening of the Erez border crossing, which connects northern Gaza with Israel, will occur “as soon as possible” with the aim of increasing humanitarian aid reaching this area of ​​the enclave. Gallant did not give more details or specify a date during a press conference in Tel Aviv.

Israel has committed to opening the Erez Pass, closed during these more than six months of war, and also to making the port of Ashdod, in the south of the country, operational for the disembarkation of humanitarian supplies, after the ultimatum issued to it the president of the United States, Joe Biden, that his support from now on was going to be conditional on increasing humanitarian aid.

It is estimated that at least 300,000 people are at risk of famine in the north of the Strip, where the arrival of supplies and humanitarian aid is greatly hampered by the closure of border crossings and the destruction of roads in the enclave.

Biden's message came after the Israeli attack on a convoy of the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) that killed seven humanitarian workers, and which Gallant today called a “serious mistake”, comparing it to the death of three Israeli hostages last year. December 15 due to shots fired by the army, who mistook them for militiamen.

Part of the international community has been pressuring Israel for weeks to get more humanitarian aid to Gaza, since during much of the Israeli offensive only two of the seven border crossings have been functioning: the Kerem Shalom one, in Israeli territory, and the of Nitzar-Rafah, in Egyptian territory.

The fact that both passes are located in the south of the enclave makes it difficult for part of this aid to reach the north of Gaza, where malnutrition problems have skyrocketed among women and children in a worrying manner, UNICEF denounces. “For me, sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip was a priority from the first day of the war, but it is not easy to convince the Israeli population that not everyone in Gaza is the enemy,” Gallant said, referring to to the impact that the Hamas attacks of October 7 have had on Israeli society.

Gallant also spoke about the possible assault on the city of Rafah, in the south of the Strip, where 1.4 million people live in overcrowded conditions and thousands came fleeing the fighting in the north. “Yes or yes, we will enter this city, we have to guarantee that nothing remains of Hamas,” said the minister. Likewise, he indicated that they will “give time” to civilians so that they can evacuate the city and move to more “safe” places. (Efe)