Israel to open third crossing into northern Gaza later this month — senior officials

Israel will open a third crossing into northern Gaza later this month, two senior officials tell The Times of Israel.

The Zikim Crossing will join the Erez Crossing and Gate 96, which were respectively opened earlier this month and in March

Zikim will serve as the main route for aid to northern Gaza, as Erez and Gate 96 are less suited thoroughfares for large amounts of trucks, a senior Israeli official explains.

Additional operational crossings into northern Gaza will be critical if Israel goes ahead with plans to launch a mass ground invasion of the enclave’s southernmost city of Rafah, which Jerusalem says is essential for dismantling Hamas’s remaining battalions and defeating the terror group.

The offensive would likely cut off the Rafah Crossing, Gaza’s main aid opening since the beginning of the war,.

This will make opening additional crossings essential in order to ensure that the 1.4 million Palestinians who Israel is looking to evacuate from Rafah will be able to continue receiving aid.