Israel shuts down Rafah aid crossing following attack
Netanyahu’s move a blow to peace talks
ISRAEL closed its main crossing point for delivering humanitarian aid for Gaza yesterday, claiming Hamas militants attacked it, reportedly wounding several Israelis.
Israel’s defence minister also warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza”. Both moves were blows to ceasefire efforts in Cairo mediated by Egypt and Qatar after reported signs of progress.
Israel also ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government.
Israel has not sent a delegation to the negotiations, unlike Hamas. Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said “we see signs that Hamas does not intend to go to any agreement”.
Netanyahu, under pressure from hardliners in his government, continued to lower expectations for a ceasefire deal, calling the demands of the Hamas militant group “extreme”, including the withdrawal of Israel forces from Gaza and an end to the war.
Instead, his government again vowed to press on with a military operation in Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city on the border with Egypt, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents now seek shelter from Israeli attacks.
The Israeli military reported 10 projectiles were launched at the Rafah crossing and said its fighter jets later struck the launcher. Hamas said it had been targeting Israeli soldiers in the area. It was unclear how long the crossing would be closed.
The sides remain at odds over whether a deal would include an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Netanyahu said that Israel has shown willingness to make concessions but that it “will continue fighting until all of its objectives are achieved”. That includes the stated aim of crushing Hamas.
Israel says it must target Rafah to strike remaining fighters there, despite warnings from the US and others about the danger to civilians.
In later remarks for Israel’s annual Holocaust memorial day, Netanyahu said: “We will defend ourselves in every way. We will overcome our enemies and we will ensure our security, in the Gaza Strip, on the Lebanese border, everywhere.”
The extraordinary order against Al Jazeera – which includes confiscating equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites – is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shut a foreign news outlet. Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable provider in the hours after the order. Its website and streaming links across online platforms still operated yesterday.
The network has reported the Israeli-Hamas war non-stop since the militants’ initial cross-border attack on October 7 and has maintained 24hour coverage in Gaza despite members of its own staff being killed and wounded. More than 140 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the war began.
Its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other militant groups in the region, drawing Netanyahu’s ire.
Al Jazeera said in a statement it will “pursue all available legal channels through international legal institutions in its quest to protect both its rights and journalists, as well as the public’s right to information”.
Israeli media said the order allows Israel to block the channel from operating in the country for 45 days. The ban did not appear to affect operations in the West Bank or Gaza.