Mohammed Majed
12 May 2024•Update: 12 May 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestine
Gaza’s government media office warned Sunday of a “new humanitarian catastrophe” in the besieged enclave amid Israel’s closure of border crossings.
Israel has closed the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings with the Gaza Strip since last week amid its deadly offensive on the territory.
“The closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing has prevented the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid” to Gaza, Salama Marouf, head of the media office, said in a statement.
The closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt also “barred thousands of wounded from leaving Gaza for medical treatment abroad, which portends a new humanitarian catastrophe,” he warned.
The Israeli army seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing on May 7 on the border with Egypt, a vital route for humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
The move came one day after the army issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in eastern Rafah, a move widely seen as a prelude to Israel's long-feared attack on the city, where some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have sheltered.
Israel has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and injured over 78,600 others following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7, 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 Gaza.
South Africa on Friday asked the ICJ to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures over the war.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
