Israel reportedly moving northern Gaza crossing locale to elude aid truck protests

Army Radio reports that the Defense Ministry is planning on keeping the Erez crossing on Gaza’s northern border closed and will instead seek to open a crossing at an alternate site, fearing that protesters on the Israeli side will disrupt the entry of aid into the Strip.

The report does not say where the new crossing will be placed, but says it will be “less central” in hopes that protesters will have a harder time getting there and blocking trucks than they would at Erez, which sits at the terminus of a major highway.

Defense officials fear police will not be able to be relied upon to keep protesters away given hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s control over the force, Army Radio says.

Israeli protesters, largely from the right side of the political spectrum, have attempted to block aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing, arguing that relief should be withheld until the hostages held in Gaza are freed.

However, the report says defense officials are concerned that a drop in the amount of aid reaching Gazans could result in the international community putting embargos on arms sales to Israel.