Israel says reopening Kerem Shalom aid crossing as Gaza talks resume in Cairo

Israel said on Wednesday it reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing to humanitarian aid for Gaza after taking control of the vital Rafah crossing a day earlier and as ceasefire talks resumed in Cairo.

"Trucks from Egypt carrying humanitarian aid, including food, water, shelter equipment, medicine and medical equipment donated by the international community are already arriving at the crossing," the Israeli military said in a joint statement with Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Defense Ministry body that oversees Palestinian civil affairs.

The supplies will be transferred to the Gaza side of the crossing after undergoing inspection, it added.

The Kerem Shalom crossing was closed after a Hamas rocket attack killed four soldiers and wounded more than a dozen on Sunday.

Israeli troops on Tuesday seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt after launching an incursion into the eastern sector of the city, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter during Israel's seven-month-old offensive. 

The United Nations and Israel's staunchest ally, the United States, both condemned the closure of the two crossings, which are a lifeline for civilians facing a looming famine.

"If no fuel comes in for a prolonged period of time it would be a very effective way of putting the humanitarian operation in its grave," UN humanitarian office spokesperson Jens Laerke said.

Revised proposal

Fears for a major invasion of Rafah, a move Israel has long threatened, have grown after Israeli tanks rolled through the Rafah crossing complex, raising the stakes of ceasefire talks attended by delegations from Israel, Hamas, Egypt, Qatar and the U.S.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for Israel and Hamas to show "political courage" and spare no effort to agree to a truce.

"Even the best friends of Israel are clear: An assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare," he said, urging those with influence over Israel to help avert further tragedy.

The latest round of negotiations came after Hamas approved a ceasefire proposal that was later rejected by Israel, which said the terms had been softened to a degree it could not accept.

Washington appears optimistic about the trajectory of the resumed talks. White House spokesperson John Kirby said Hamas presented a revised proposal, and the new text suggests the remaining gaps can "absolutely be closed."

Since the only pause in the conflict so far, a week-long ceasefire in November, the two sides have been blocked by Hamas' refusal to free more Israeli hostages without a promise of a permanent end to the conflict and Israel's insistence that it would discuss only a temporary halt.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan, speaking to reporters in Beirut on Tuesday, warned that if Israel's military aggression continued in Rafah, there would be no truce agreement.

Israel's military said it was conducting a limited operation in Rafah to kill fighters and dismantle infrastructure used by Hamas. It told civilians, many of whom were previously displaced from other parts of Gaza earlier in the conflict, to go to an "expanded humanitarian zone" some 20 km away.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli troops will invade Rafah with or without a deal.

In Geneva, Laerke said "panic and despair" were gripping the people in Rafah.

(With input from agencies)