Israel Reopens Kerem Shalom Crossing For Gaza Aid After Closing Following Iranian Missile Attacks

Israel announced it would reopen the Kerem Shalom, or Karem Abu Salem, crossing on Tuesday for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza after it closed crossings following Iranian missile fire.

COGAT said the Rafah crossing would reopen for limited movement of people in both directions, while the closure of crossings into the besieged enclave remained in place “until further notice.”

Al-Jazeera Net

Middle East Monitor said Israeli authorities on Sunday evening closed all crossings into the Gaza Strip following Iranian missile attacks on Israel, including Rafah and Kerem Shalom, as part of security measures.

The same COGAT statement claimed the closures “will not affect the humanitarian situation in the enclave,” and said the amount of food aid that entered Gaza since the ceasefire began exceeds the population’s food requirements, according to UN standards and methodologies.

Euronews said Israel reopened the Rafah border crossing on Monday, February 2, 2025, with arrangements allowing up to 50 Palestinians from each side of the border to cross Rafah daily and 50 patients to cross for medical treatment.

Euronews reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would allow up to 50 patients from Gaza to leave each day, accompanied by two relatives of their choice, and that 50 Palestinians who wished to return to their homes would be allowed to cross daily.

Al-Jazeera Net

The BBC said the Rafah crossing had largely remained closed since May 2024, when the Gaza Strip portion was captured by Israeli forces, and that Israel delayed reopening until the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza was handed over last week.

The BBC also said that about 20,000 Palestinian patients and injured people were waiting to leave Gaza to receive medical services, and that reports in Israeli media indicated only 50 patients per day, along with one or two of their relatives, would be allowed to leave Gaza.

Al-Jazeera Net said Israel announced the reopening of the Rafah and Kerem Abu Salim crossings to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip after they were closed on Sunday due to escalation with Iran, as part of Israel's control over aid entering the Strip.

COGAT said Rafah would be reopened to limited movement of people in both directions and that crossing operations would be run according to the mechanism in place before its closure, subject to coordination requests submitted by Egypt and the World Health Organization.

Al-Jazeera Net also said the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025 provided for increasing the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and allowing its free movement between the north and south of the Strip, with about 600 trucks per day entering.

The article further reported that Human Rights Watch said in May that the humanitarian lifeline “remains under threat” more than six months after the ceasefire, and accused Israeli authorities of undermining humanitarian supply lines.