Gaza Genocideupdated 39m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 13 November 2025Israel Closes Kerem Shalom Crossing Again After Hamas Rocket Attack Threatens Operations
4 Other3 Western MainstreamPhoto: U.S. Army USARCENT by Sgt. 1st Class Malcolm Cohens-Ashley / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Kerem Shalom crossing closed again after Hamas rocket attack. Four Israeli soldiers killed in the rocket attack near the crossing.
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Kerem Shalom closed again
Israel’s armed forces reported on Wednesday, 08.05.2024, that they had again closed the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip after a supposed new rocket attack by Hamas that would have left a soldier lightly wounded. The Israeli armed forces said the attacks threatened the crossing’s operation, and the armed body said Israel had reopened Kerem Shalom this same day after it had remained closed for three days following another rocket attack that killed four soldiers. UNRWA spokesperson Jonathan Fowler confirmed that nothing of aid had been distributed throughout the Gaza Strip all day, saying, "It is disastrous."
Fowler added, "No fuel or aid has entered the Gaza Strip, and this is disastrous for the humanitarian response," while the Israeli authorities announced that Kerem Shalom had been reopened and that trucks carrying aid were being inspected. The DW account also said the Rafah crossing was closed after the Israeli military took it as part of an operation in the east of the town, in which dozens of people have died after two days of intense bombardment.
Rocket attack, retaliatory strikes
A rocket attack claimed by Hamas killed three soldiers, prompting Israel to close one of the main crossings used to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel’s military said 10 projectiles were launched from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the area of the Kerem Shalom crossing, and an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah, killing three people and wounding several others. Four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack near one of the main crossings used to deliver aid into Gaza, and the Kerem Shalom crossing was closed overnight by Israel following the strike.
Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the ceasefire proposal, saying, "The state of Israel cannot accept this [Hamas's demands], we are not prepared to accept a situation in which the Hamas brigades come out of their bunkers." Israel’s counter-strike struck the launcher and a nearby "military structure … The launches carried out by Hamas adjacent to the Rafah Crossing ... are a clear example of the terrorist organisation's systematic exploitation of humanitarian facilities and spaces" while Hamas denied using civilians as human shields.
Humanitarian and political stakes
The DW account said the closure of both Kerem Shalom and Rafah drove tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced in the area into an even greater humanitarian catastrophe, as warned by numerous international organizations. Philippe Lazzarini called for an independent investigation into the attack at the crossing and said Israel denied him entry to Gaza for a second time. Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire deal and the release of hostages had stalled, and the truce proposal was believed to involve a 40-day pause in fighting.
The Israeli Defense Forces urged Gazans sheltering in parts of Rafah to evacuate to an "expanded humanitarian zone" that included field hospitals, tents, and increased amounts of food, water, medicine and other supplies. Benny Gantz told reporters that, "the military operation in Rafah is an inseparable part of our continued efforts and our commitment to return our abductees and change the security reality in the south," while Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry warned of the dangers of an Israeli operation in Rafah.