First aid trucks enter Gaza through newly opened northern crossing

Spain PM: Clear signs that Europe will recognise a Palestinian state

THE FIRST trucks carrying food aid entered Gaza through the newly opened northern crossing point on Thursday, the military said on Friday, as Israel stepped up supplies following mounting pressure to ease the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

It said the trucks were inspected at the Kerem Shalom crossing point on the border with Egypt before moving north to cross. Israel had said earlier this month it would re-open the Erez crossing point that had been closed since the start of the war with Hamas last October.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Friday said there were “clear signs” in Europe that countries in the region were prepared to recognise a Palestinian state.

Sanchez had earlier met with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo amid his diplomatic campaign to garner support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood.

The prospect of Gazans crossing into Egypt from the border town of Rafah to escape a military assault would make the resolution of the Israelipalestinian conflict impossible and cause an “atrocious dilemma” for the people fleeing, the UN refugee chief said Friday. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said “we must fervently do everything" to avoid such an outflow of the Gazan population. “Another refugee crisis from Gaza into Egypt, I can assure you... would make the resolution of the Palestinian refugee question as a consequence of the Israeli-palestinian conflict impossible," Grandi told Reuters.

Israeli plans to assault Rafah, where more than a million Gazans have been sheltering.

Reuters People protest seeking ceasefire and release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, outside US Embassy in Tel Aviv on Friday.