Israel has opened another crossing for humanitarian aid deliveries to the northern Gaza Strip, the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit announced on Sunday.
The crossing, called “Western Erez,” is located in the Zikim area near the coast and was opened “as part of the effort to increase aid routes” to the coastal enclave amid the war against Hamas, the IDF said.
The statement added that dozens of trucks carrying flour from the U.N. World Food Program were delivered from Ashdod Port to the Gaza Strip via the new crossing on Sunday after undergoing security checks.
Israel also approved another new supply route to the Strip, running from the Judea city of Hebron through the Tarkumiya Crossing, the Tzav 9 (“Order 9”) anti-Gaza-aid movement said in a statement on Monday.
“It is beyond absurd that on the day when we remember the victims killed by the Nukhba terrorists, the State of Israel continues to deliver aid to those terrorists in every possible way,” the group said. Israel on Monday marked its Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism.
According to Tzav 9, 80 trucks heading for Gaza were expected to pass through the Tarkumiya Crossing on Memorial Day. Dozens of activists briefly blocked the cargo trucks on Monday, with police arresting at least two protesters, according to the Honenu legal defense group.
Israel has ramped up efforts to facilitate the delivery of aid, opening new crossings designed to facilitate the entry of foreign assistance into Gaza.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities reopened the Erez Crossing, located just south of Zikim, seven months after Hamas destroyed the entry point during its Oct. 7 assault on the northwestern Negev.
Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, Egypt is refusing to coordinate with Israel to allow aid to pass through the Rafah Crossing from Sinai due to Cairo’s objections to the IDF operation in the area, Alqahera News reported on Sunday.
The United States confirmed on April 15 that the quantity of humanitarian aid entering the Strip with Israeli assistance had substantially increased.
Sigrid Kaag, the U.N.’s senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, told the Security Council last month that her team has had “very constructive cooperation” from Jerusalem.
