Israeli control over the Rafah border – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) took control of the area on Tuesday night. Then Israeli armored vehicles drove across the border and into Rafah.

The transition is on the border with the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. He is now closed, according to spokespersons from the border authorities in Gaza.

The forces have full control over the Palestinian side of the crossing, which is now closed.

Israel will withdraw after the military operation, which must be limited in scope. As of now, 20 members of Hamas have been killed, according to the IDF on Telegram.

Total closure for emergency services

The Rafah border crossing is between Egypt and Gaza.

Together with the border crossing Kerem Shalom, between Israel, Egypt and Rafah, these are the two main years for emergency aid into Gaza after other borders were closed following the 7 October attack last year.

Despite warnings from US President Joe Biden against closing Kerem Shalom, the IDF did so after Hamas’ military wing fired six rockets at the area on Monday.

At one point, both border crossings were closed, and thus the whole of Gaza was isolated from emergency aid.

On Wednesday morning, the IDF reopened Kerem Shalom.

Spokesperson Jens Lærke at the UN says that Israel is denying its humanitarian workers access to the Rafah border area. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that no exceptions have been made to transfer patients into or out of Rafah.

– The buffer for fuel that is available in Gaza is very, very small, says spokesperson Jens Lærke in the UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs.

There is approximately one day’s worth of fuel left. As fuel only comes in through Rafah, the one-day buffer will cover all of Gaza.

– If the delivery of this fuel is blocked, there will be a complete halt in the humanitarian work in the whole of Gaza.

Although Netanyahu promised US Prime Minister Joe Biden on Monday evening that Israel would keep Kerem Shalom open for humanitarian aid, he is now closed.

Later, No one was injured in the attack.

Heavy attacks against Rafah last night

On the night of Tuesday, Israel carried out heavy attacks against Rafah, with bombs both from the air and from the ground.

The Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah reports that they have admitted at least eleven dead and several dozen injured after Israeli attacks.

On Monday morning, 100,000 Palestinians in Rafah were asked to go to so-called humanitarian areas while waiting for the long-announced Israeli ground invasion, and Israel says that a “targeted attack” has been carried out against what they call “terrorist targets” in Rafah.

Pressing on in the negotiations

Egypt warns that the Rafah operation threatens the chance of a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

One of Hamas’s demands in the negotiations with Israel is that a possible ceasefire be permanent. Israel has rejected this demand, and for its part wants the full release of the Israeli hostages who are still being held in Gaza.

On Monday evening it was known that Hamas had accepted a proposal for a ceasefire from Egypt and Qatar. The news was celebrated in Rafah, where people feared an Israeli ground invasion.

However, the joy was short-lived.

Israel was quick to reject the proposal. An Israeli source said that the proposal looked like an attempt to make it look like Israel is the party that refuses to agree to an agreement.

Netanyahu has said several times, most recently last night, that he will go ahead with plans for a ground invasion of Rafah regardless of the negotiations.

On Tuesday evening, delegations from both Israel and Hamas are present in Cairo to continue negotiations on a ceasefire.

The United States simultaneously reports that it is withholding deliveries of Boeing precision bombs, according to the online newspaper Politico. The motivation must be to send a political message.

Negotiations continued. So does the attack.