On Wednesday, Israel announced the opening of a crucial crossing into northern Gaza to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid from the United Nations and other global organizations.
“Today, the Zikim crossing has been opened to allow humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip,” stated COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry’s unit managing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, on X.
COGAT’s spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the crossing will now remain open “permanently,” similar to the Kerem Shalom crossing into southern Gaza, which has been a primary route for aid since the conflict started in October 2023.
Humanitarian aid passing through Zikim, the main entry point to the severely affected northern Gaza, will undergo standard Israeli security checks before being distributed by the UN.
According to the UN’s World Food Programme, since the Zikim crossing closed on September 12, they have been unable to collect supplies in northern Gaza.
Humanitarian workers report that lengthy Israeli security checks and restrictions on numerous items complicate the delivery of aid into Gaza.
Once inside Gaza, delivering aid to its intended targets faces obstacles due to destroyed infrastructure or the threat of looting.
“The direct opening of crossings to the north is essential to ensure timely aid delivery,” stated the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) in a recent report.
In August, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) confirmed famine conditions in northern Gaza, a claim that COGAT disputed.
