Israel claims it will construct new land crossing in plan to 'flood Gaza with aid'

The Rafah crossing, the southernmost city in Gaza, has been the sole access point for aid deliveries into the enclave by land. Credit: AP

The Israeli military says it is constructing a new land crossing from Israel to northern Gaza, according to a statement released on Thursday.

Israel's Defense Force (IDF) said the new northern crossing will “enable more aid to flow directly to civilians in the areas that have been challenging for trucks to access.״

Humanitarian agencies have reported a catastrophic humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is imminent due to a lack of aid deliveries.

To date, the Rafah crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt is the only point where a limited amount of aid is allowed to enter the territory.

The report of a new crossing comes as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was planning to “flood Gaza with aid,” amid intensifying international pressure to urgently increase humanitarian assistance to the Gaza strip.

COGAT, the Israeli agency that coordinates the inspection and delivery of humanitarian assistance for Gaza, said the daily number of trucks entering Gaza has doubled from last week’s numbers, but UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian affairs which tracks the flow of aid into Gaza, has not reported a similar increase.

The sons of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh were killed in an Israeli strike. Credit: AP

It comes after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza has killed the three sons of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The IDF confirmed it carried out the attack on Wednesday, saying the men conducted militant activity in central Gaza, without elaborating.

Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Haniyeh said the killings would not pressure Hamas into softening its positions amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel.

In a statement he said killing the sons of leaders would only make Hamas “more steadfast in our principles and adherence to our land.”

“Whoever thinks that by targeting my kids during the negotiation talks and before a deal is agreed upon that it will force Hamas to back down on its demands, is delusional,” Haniyeh added.

Hamas would “not surrender, and […] not compromise […] no matter how great our sacrifices are,” Haniyeh added.

Haniyeh left Gaza in 2019 and lives in exile in Qatar.

Meanwhile, over the weekend the US ceasefire proposal was made in Cairo, which included pushing Israel to release a higher number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the expected 40 Israeli hostages who would be freed during the first phase of a three-stage plan.

But, Hamas indicated on Wednesday that it is currently unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase the deal.

The majority of the almost 100 hostages who remain alive are believed to be male IDF soldiers or men of military reserve age. The Israeli prime minister’s office said that of the 129 hostages from the October 7 attack currently held, 33 are dead.

Israeli bombardments and ground offensives have killed at least 33,360 Palestinians and wounded 74,993, Gaza’s Health Ministry says.

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