Jerusalem – The Israeli military said Wednesday it has reopened Gaza's Kerem Shalom crossing, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
An Israeli tank brigade seized Rafah's near pass between Gaza and Egypt early Tuesday, and remained closed, but this limited incursion does not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the busy southern city that Israel has repeatedly promised.
The looming operation threatens to widen the rift between Israel and its main backer, the United States, which says it is concerned about the fate of some 1.3 million Palestinians huddled in Rafah, most of whom fled of the struggle to other places. Israel says Rafah is Hamas's last stronghold and a broader offensive is needed to dismantle the group's military and governance capabilities.
Ramez Habboub / AP
A senior Biden administration official confirmed to CBS News on Tuesday night that the US halted a weapons shipment to Israel last week over concerns about how those weapons could be used in a potential ground operation in Rafah.
The White House's position has been that Israel “should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah,” the official said.
The stopped shipment included 1,800 two-thousand-pound bombs and 1,700 five-hundred-pound bombs, the official said.
The official said the White House was “particularly focused” on the “end use” of the 2,000-pound bombs and the “impact” those bombs could have on “dense urban environments.”
“We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment,” and other shipments are under review, the official revealed.
The US has historically provided Israel with enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.
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Meanwhile, the United States, Egypt and Qatar are stepping up efforts to close loopholes in a possible deal for at least a temporary ceasefire and the release of some of the dozens of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of these negotiations.
Hamas said Monday had approved a ceasefire proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said what Hamas agreed to was “far from satisfying Israel's basic demands.”
The Rafah crossing has been a vital channel for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and leave. Israel now controls all Gaza border crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, though it has maintained a blockade with Egypt's cooperation for most of that time.
Associated Press reporters heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the Rafah crossing area overnight, including two large explosions early Wednesday. The Israeli military on Tuesday reported six launches from Rafah towards the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas health ministry said at least 46 patients and wounded who were due to leave for medical treatment on Tuesday have been stranded.
UN agencies and aid groups have increased humanitarian aid in recent weeks as Israel has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional foothold in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally. But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only fuel gateway for trucks and generators, could have serious repercussions.
The UN says northern Gaza is already in a state of “total starvation”.
The war began when Hamas militants breached Israel's defenses on October 7 and swept through army bases and nearby farming communities, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. Hamas is still believed to be holding about 100 hostages and the rest from Israel. more than 30 more after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire in November.
the war it has killed more than 34,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and driven about 80 percent of Gaza's population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel's military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.
President Biden has repeatedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to begin invading Rafah. But Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners have threatened to topple his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in ceasefire talks.
