Israel re-shells Rafah border crossing with Gaza: Al Qahera News

CAIRO – 16 October 2023: Israel re-shelled the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli attacks since October 7, Al Qahera News Chanel reported.

The shelling targeted the Palestinian side of the crossing, according to video footage published by the channel.

#القاهرة_الإخبارية ترصد تجدد القـ ـصـ ـف الإسرائيلي لـ #معبر_رفح داخل #غزة #من_غزة_هنا_القاهرة#تضامنا_مع_فلسطين#فلسطين pic.twitter.com/PlUZPKQvqD

— AlQahera News (@Alqaheranewstv) October 16, 2023

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt has been seeking to have the Rafah crossing permanently operational for the entry of aid, normal movement, and the passage of foreigners since the beginning of the crisis outbreak; however, the Israeli government has not taken any steps that allow the crossing opening from the other side.

“We’ve been conducting communications with all world leaders, lastly with UN secretary general, who was discussing if Israel has responded to any of the initiatives to allow the humanitarian aid entry, but unfortunately, we explained that so far, we did not get any response,” Soukry said.

Conflict news circulated on Monday morning regarding a short humanitarian aid truce to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing border according to US and Israeli media reports; however, shortly later both Palestinian and Israeli sides denied these reports. No official statements have been issued so far to confirm any ceasefires

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees [UNRWA] announced in its report, on Monday, that over 1 million people so far have been displaced from Gaza, some 600,000 Internally displaced persons are in the Middle Area, Khan Yunis and Rafah, of those, nearly 400,000 are in UNRWA facilities.

UNRWA also said the number of killed is increasing, and ‘there are not enough body bags for the dead in Gaza.’

The report noted that Gaza still has had no electricity, ‘pushing vital services, including health, water, and sanitation to the brink of collapse, and worsening food insecurity’. 

In the latest death toll announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, nearly 2.808, people have been killed, other 10.950 were injured as a result of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.