Israel to allow first aid shipments via Kerem Shalom crossing to Gaza

Israel has approved the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the Israeli prime minister’s office said on Friday.
The office said in a statement the opening would allow Israel to maintain its commitments to permit the entry of 200 trucks of aid per day, agreed upon in a hostage deal brokered and implemented last month.
The crossing had been closed after an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and aid was being delivered solely through Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt which, Israel said, could only accommodate the entry of 100 trucks per day.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the decision to open the crossing, which he called a “significant step”, saying the White House hoped it would ease congestion and help facilitate the delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid through Rafah.
The World Health Organization also welcomed the move as “good news.”