Israel closes Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza after Hamas attack

Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, while the defence minister claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a ceasefire deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza.”

The developments struck blows to ongoing ceasefire efforts in Cairo, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, after reported signs of progress.

Hamas sent a delegation to the talks but Israel has not. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We see signs that Hamas does not intend to go to any agreement.”  

Another threat to the talks came Sunday when Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar’s Al Jazeera satellite news network to close, accusing it of broadcasting anti-Israel incitement. The ban did not appear to affect the channel’s operations in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from hard-liners in his government, continued to lower expectations for a ceasefire deal, calling the Hamas demands “extreme” — including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the war. That would equal surrender after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the fighting, Netanyahu said.

Hamas didn’t immediately respond to Gallant’s comments. In an earlier statement, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the militant group was serious and positive about the negotiations and stopping Israeli aggression in Gaza is the main priority.

Projectiles launched at Kerem Shalom

But Israel’s 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. Rafah is a key entry point for aid.

Kerem Shalom, now closed, is another.

The Israeli military reported 10 projectiles were launched at the crossing in southern Israel and said its fighter jets later struck the source.

Hamas said it had been targeting Israeli soldiers in the area. Israel’s Channel 12 TV channel said 10 people were wounded, three seriously.

It was unclear how long the crossing would be closed.

Gaza’s vast humanitarian needs put further pressure on the ceasefire talks. The proposal that Egyptian mediators had put to Hamas sets out a three-stage process that would bring an immediate, six-week truce and partial release of Israeli hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack, and would include some sort of Israeli pullout. The initial stage…