Israel says aid to enter Gaza by sea within days

FILE: Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Israel continued to battle Hamas fighters on October 10 and massed tens of thousands of troops and heavy armour around the Gaza Strip after vowing a massive blow over the Palestinian militants’ surprise attack. (Photo by Naaman Omar apaimages/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

JERUSALEM – Israel said Thursday that humanitarian aid will begin reaching the Gaza Strip by sea within days.

A statement by the army said a floating dock off the Gazan coast, built in cooperation with US Central Command for humanitarian aid, will begin receiving aid sent to the coastal enclave.

The announcement comes amid growing international accusations that Tel Aviv is “deepening” the famine in Gaza by closing all crossings.

The Israeli army announced the closure of the Karm Abu Salem border crossing on May 8 to trucks, including those carrying aid to Gaza.

Israel claimed it would reopen the Karm Abu Salem border crossing to allow aid to Gaza at the request of US President Joe Biden, but the Palestinian Authority has denied the claim.

Karm Abu Salem is the only commercial crossing into Gaza, through which construction materials, goods, fuel, and foodstuffs are brought in.

Last week, the army invaded the eastern section of Rafah and captured the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since early October, leaving the territory’s population on the verge of starvation.

Since Oct. 7, after an attack by Hamas killed less than 1,200 Israelis, Israel launched a deadly onslaught on Gaza, where it claims Hamas fighters are hiding.

More than 35,270 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 79,200 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.