Gaza Crossings Still Closed, No Aid Entering Despite Israeli Claims: Authority

Two key border crossings into the Gaza Strip are still closed, with no aid entering the enclave, local authorities said Thursday.

The statement by the Gaza-based General Authority for Crossings and Borders came in response to statements from the US State Department on the opening of crossings and entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

The statement confirmed that the crossings are still closed and under Israeli control since the Israeli army invaded Rafah, took over the Rafah crossing and closed the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The army claimed Wednesday to have reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing after closing it on Sunday to deliver aid to Gaza upon a request from US President Joe Biden.

However, the crossings authority denied the Israeli claims.

"Israeli forces are closing the Kerem Shalom crossing, preventing the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," its spokesperson, Hisham Adwan, told Anadolu.

Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing last Sunday, alleging that Palestinians had fired mortar shells at it, resulting in the deaths of four soldiers and the injury of 11 others.

However, the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas, said they had targeted an Israeli force gathering at a military site near the Kerem Shalom area in response to the ongoing war on Gaza.

Hamas said Monday evening that it had accepted a Gaza cease-fire proposal drawn up by Egypt and Qatar.

But Israel said the truce offer accepted by Hamas did not meet its key demands and decided to push ahead with an operation in Rafah to apply "military pressure on Hamas with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims."

On Tuesday, Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing linking Gaza with Egypt, closing it to all traffic.

The Israeli army said the 401st armored brigade took "operational control" of the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side.

Israel has killed more than 34,900 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 78,500 others following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year which claimed 1,200 lives.

Over seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave's population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in the enclave.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul -