Kerem Shalom crosses as Hamas fires rockets from Gaza

Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza after Hamas fired rockets from inside the strip, the military said.

At least 10 people were injured, some seriously, according to Israeli media.

The crossing is one of the few routes to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The attack occurred as mediators in Egypt were holding talks to negotiate a ceasefire – and to free Israeli hostages. Israel has said it will not accept Hamas’ demands to end the war in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said 10 projectiles were fired from an area near the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza, located approximately 3.6 km (2.2 miles) from Kerem Shalom.

According to the IDF, they were fired from a location about 350 meters from a civilian shelter and were “another clear example of the terrorist organization Hamas’ systematic exploitation of humanitarian facilities and spaces for terrorist needs, while also using the civilian population as a human being”. shield”.

The Israeli fighter jets then struck the launcher from which they were fired and another nearby military structure, it said in a statement.

The war began after waves of Hamas gunmen stormed Gaza’s border with Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. The group is banned as a terrorist organization by many Western countries.

During the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza, more than 34,600 Palestinians were killed and more than 77,900 injured, according to data from the territory’s Ministry of Health, managed by Hamas.

Hamas sent a delegation to the truce talks in Cairo, which were supposed to involve a 40-day pause in fighting while hostages were freed and the release of several Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

The main point of contention appeared to be whether the truce would be permanent – as Hamas insists – or not.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the proposed ceasefire agreement would keep Hamas in control of Gaza, posing a threat to Israel.

“The State of Israel cannot accept this [Hamas’s demands]we are not prepared to accept a situation in which Hamas brigades emerge from their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure and once again threaten the citizens of Israel in the settlements surrounding the southern mountains, in all parts of the country.

“This will be a terrible defeat for the State of Israel,” he added.

Netanyahu has faced pressure within his far-right coalition to press ahead with a long-promised offensive on Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah, where some 1.4 million people have taken shelter after fleeing fighting in the northern and northern parts. center of the lane. .

The US – Israel’s strongest diplomatic and military ally – is reluctant to support a new offensive that could cause significant civilian casualties and has insisted on seeing a plan first to protect displaced Palestinians.

The Israeli government also faces increasing pressure domestically.

Of the 252 hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 128 are still missing – and among them, at least 34 are presumed dead.

Ceasefire talks took place for months without any progress and there has been no break in fighting or release of hostages since the end of November.

There have been times when a new deal seemed imminent – ​​only to fall apart before it was signed.