Gaza Strip (AP) – The Israeli military announced the opening of a new crossing on Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, as the coastal territory remains gripped by a worsening humanitarian crisis following 11 days of deadly fighting last month.
The newly-established Roz Al-Yacoub crossing will allow the United Nations and international aid organizations to start trucking in vital supplies of food, medicine and other essential goods to ease mounting shortages caused by the recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militant groups.
“In light of the significant hurdles in getting aid through existing channels due to damage and security concerns, the Israeli government has decided to open an additional crossing point into Gaza on a temporary basis until conditions stabilize,” said Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich, a spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli military authority that oversees Palestinian civilian affairs.
“The top priority is getting food and medical provisions into the Strip as soon as possible to address critical gaps in supplies.”
The announcement comes as the 2 million residents of the blockaded Gaza Strip remain trapped in a dire situation more than two weeks after the ceasefire went into effect on May 21st. May’s fighting was the worst in Gaza since the 2014 war, with Palestinian officials reporting over 250 killed, including 66 children.
Images depicting the devastating aftermath of Israeli airstrikes have circulated globally, showing massive damage to roads, residential buildings, power and water infrastructure from the intense bombardment. Hospitals in Gaza continue to be overwhelmed with casualties, with medical supplies running precariously low.
“The opening of a new border crossing is positive, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the monumental task of rebuilding and getting humanitarian relief into Gaza,” said Tanya Habjouqa, director in Gaza for the aid group PRCS. “Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, hospitals are struggling to treat all the injured, and food insecurity is at crisis levels.”
Prior to the fighting, the UN had already warned that conditions in Gaza were becoming increasingly unlivable due to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on the territory when the militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. According to aid groups, over 60% of families in Gaza don’t have reliable access to food.
One of the main routes for cargo and aid to enter Gaza is at the Kerem Shalom crossing, which sits on the Israeli-Gaza border. But it sustained damage during the recent conflict and operational capacity remains limited, creating a bottleneck that has constrained the ability of UN agencies and international NGOs to resupply.
Most other crossings have remained fully shuttered by Israeli authorities due to security concerns over Hamas and other militant groups operating within Gaza. In the aftermath of previous rounds of hostilities, Israel has closed border crossings for extended periods, slowing the flow of humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts.
The newly-opened Roz Al-Yacoub crossing will serve as a temporary gateway for aid trucks to circumvent Kerem Shalom’s reduced capacity until it can ramp back to normal operations. Israeli military officials say enhanced security measures are in place to ensure weapons or fighters cannot slip through leveraging the new crossing point.
Truckloads of relief supplies from UN humanitarian agencies including UNRWA, UNICEF and the World Food Programme have already started lining up at the new crossing in hopes of quickly accessing Gaza. Many are carrying non-food items like hygiene products and water purification kits in addition to emergency food stocks.
“Having an additional entry point available for aid will be a real game-changer,” said Matthias Sweet, the World Food Programme’s Country Director for the Palestinian territories. “Food insecurity in Gaza was already at a crisis level before the latest outbreak of violence, and these new supplies are critically needed as families struggle to rebuild their homes.”
Beyond immediate humanitarian needs, the wider challenge remains around funding and enabling the large-scale rebuilding that will be required to repair Gaza’s infrastructure and tens of thousands of damaged or destroyed housing units. The recent conflict struck another devastating blow to Gaza’s already frail economy, also hindering efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the aftermath of the 2014 war, an international coalition led by the UN was able to raise $5.4 billion in humanitarian and reconstruction aid for Gaza. Disbursing those funds and facilitating rebuilding efforts, however, proved immensely challenging due to the Israeli blockade. Ultimately many projects stalled or were only partially completed.
Going forward, the path to reconstruction hinges on cooperation between Israeli security officials, the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, humanitarian groups like the UN and Qatar – a key international donor to Gaza’s aid efforts. Already, diplomatic talks are reportedly underway to shore up a fresh rebuilding campaign and cement another fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“We have to get this right, because the future of Gaza is hanging by a thread,” said Robert Serry, the UN’s Middle East envoy coordinating ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Palestinian factions. “All parties need to facilitate rapid humanitarian access, ensure the UN’s role in distributing aid effectively, and most crucially – avoid cutting off the main artery of supplies that Gaza relies upon.”
On that point, the UN and aid groups emphasized that while the Roz Al-Yacoub crossing will provide urgently-needed relief, the Kerem Shalom crossing remains the primary gateway for aid entering Gaza from Israel over the long run. Ensuring it remains fully open and operational will be vital to supporting any rebuilding and economic recovery, officials said.
“Opening this additional crossing for aid is a positive first step that we welcome, but it must not be the end of the story,” Serry cautioned. “For any meaningful rebuilding and rehabilitation to take place, all parties must meet their commitments to keep commercial traffic and humanitarian convoys flowing through Kerem Shalom on a permanent basis.”
As the latest humanitarian relief starts flowing through Roz Al-Yacoub, the level of destruction and sheer need on the ground in Gaza remains staggering. Beyond the tragic human toll of over 250 killed, over 77,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes and made homeless by the bombardment, according to UN figures.
Entire residential neighborhoods were leveled in key flashpoint cities like Gaza City, Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis. Videos show families desperately digging through debris searching for belongings while the power grid flickered off and on.
It’s clear the new Roz Al-Yacoub crossing represents just a first step in what will be a massive humanitarian and recovery mission facing the international community in Gaza. As efforts now turn to marshaling expanded aid and eventual reconstruction funding, the onus will be on all sides to ensure nothing disrupts the fragile flow of supplies that Gazans so desperately require.
While easing the humanitarian crisis is the immediate focus, the added crossing also holds symbolic importance by physically forcing open and expanding access into the blockaded coastal strip. For years, critics of the blockade have assailed its restrictions on goods and people as a form of collective punishment undermining peace efforts.
If the Roz Al-Yacoub crossing can remain operational alongside the primary Kerem Shalom entry point, it may ultimately provide negotiators with an added diplomatic lever as part of any future talks aimed at permanently lifting the blockade in exchange for security guarantees from Palestinian factions. At minimum, aid groups hope the new route offers a critical supply line to alleviate Gaza’s suffering in the interim.
“Opening new ways in is ultimately about saving lives and giving people in Gaza at least a chance at a decent future,” said Karl Schembri of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which operates in Gaza. “Having this extra passage is undoubtedly positive in that sense, but our expectations need to remain realistic. Lifting the full blockade is the only way normal life and commerce can resume.”
