Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 16, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, December 16, 2023
UN praises Israel’s reopening of Gaza crossing for aid shipments
Illustrative: A fuel truck enters the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, in Rafah in the southern Palestinian enclave, following a truce, on August 8, 2022. (SAID KHATIB / AFP)
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations is welcoming Israel’s announcement that the border crossing at Kerem Shalom will be opened for the direct delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying the sooner the better.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric tells that “the fast implementation of this agreement will increase the flow of aid” and “a humanitarian ceasefire will increase the distribution of that aid across Gaza even more.”
Dujarric also says UN humanitarian officials reported Friday that the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians in Gaza has been compounded by flooding after heavy rains in the past few days in the territory.
