US hails progress in Israeli aid efforts, wants Kerem Shalom crossing fully reopened

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Trucks with humanitarian aid wait to enter the Palestinian side of Rafah on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip on December 11, 2023. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)
Trucks with humanitarian aid wait to enter the Palestinian side of Rafah on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip on December 11, 2023. (Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden’s administration has identified progress in Israel’s humanitarian effort in Gaza over the past day, US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller says.

The progress has amounted to the establishment of “enduring deconfliction routes” in southern Gaza for civilians to be able to move out of harm’s way and for humanitarian aid to be able to reach those in need, Miller says.

Israel has implemented four-hour pauses in the fighting in different southern Gaza neighborhoods, Miller adds.

Miller also notes Israel’s decision to allow more fuel to enter Gaza in recent days, as well as a decision to open its Kerem Shalom Crossing for inspections, are both welcome steps.

However, he says the US would like to see Kerem Shalom also opened for the delivery of aid and notes that Israel’s cabinet is slated to discuss doing so later today.

Fully reopening Kerem Shalom “would alleviate some of the traffic” at Egypt’s Rafah Crossing, which is currently the only crossing open for the entry of humanitarian aid, Miller says, adding that opening Kerem Shalom would allow for a significant increase in the delivery of assistance into the Strip.

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