Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Israeli official claims reports of caravans entering Gaza ‘exaggerated’
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Scores of trucks carrying mobile homes line up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing in preparation for entering Gaza, at the Rafah border crossing, Egypt, February 18, 2025. (Mayar Mokhtar/AP)
A senior Israeli official says that reports about allowing caravans into the Gaza Strip are “overly and unnecessarily exaggerated.”
“Anyone who sees the devastation in the Gaza Strip today and the extent of the destruction of buildings and terrorist infrastructure there can only imagine what will happen to the temporary caravans if the IDF’s intense fighting resumes,” says the official.
A second Israeli official told Israel Hayom earlier today that it would allow caravans and heavy equipment into Gaza in a staged manner, as long as Hamas fulfills its obligations.
The deal reportedly stipulates that Israel allow several hundred mobile homes into Gaza during the first phase.
