The Israeli military took control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, officials said.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tanks rolled into the southern city of Gaza, home to about 1.3 million people, on Tuesday morning.
The seizure of the border crossing, essential for the delivery of humanitarian aid, comes after the militant group Hamas said it would agree to a proposed ceasefire between Qatar and Egypt. However, Israel said the agreement was not up to par.
The IDF he said its aircraft hit more than 50 targets on the Gaza side of Rafah. Israel has faced backlash for its planned incursion into the region, an operation that President Biden and his administration have warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to pursue.
Israel told about 100,000 residents east of Rafah to evacuate on Monday, a day before the Israeli 401st Brigade moved to the crossing, the Associated Press reported. Both Rafah and Kerem Shalom, two important entry points for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, have been closed in the past two days, according to the AP.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an agency for Palestinians in Gaza that provides food and medicine, said Tuesday it will remain in Rafah despite Israel’s incursion.
“We will stay where we are,” said Sam Rose, UNRWA planning director. counted Al Jazeera English. “The issue is our ability to continue delivering over an extended period of time if the crossings remain closed.”
Overnight, the Israeli military killed 23 Palestinians, according to AP. In response, the Gaza Interior Ministry criticized the Israeli military operation in the area and said the crossing did not pose a risk to the IDF.
“The Rafah crossing is a civil service facility and constitutes the main lifeline for the citizens of the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement. declaration Tuesday. “The crossing does not pose any threat to the Israeli occupation.”
The war in Gaza, which began on October 7 after Hamas launched attacks against Israel, has driven about 80 percent of the territory’s population from their homes, AP reported. The region’s death toll has risen to more than 34,500 people, according to local health officials.
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