The Israeli government agrees to reopen the northern Gaza crossing for the first time since October 7, according to an official

CNN
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The Israeli security cabinet approved the reopening of the Erez crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip for the first time since then. Hamas attacks on October 7An Israeli official told CNN on Thursday.

The Israeli official said that the crossing would be opened to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Cabinet also approved the use of the Israeli port of Ashdod to help transport more aid to Gaza.

This announcement comes amid mounting international outrage over the Israeli raids that killed seven aid workers at the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Israel admitted responsibility for the deaths, but stressed that the attack was not intentional.

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza is unacceptable, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and warned Israel against taking steps to address the crisis or face the consequences.

Since the October 7 terrorist attacks, Israel's blockade of Gaza has killed more than 32,916 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and led to a spiraling humanitarian crisis where nearlyThree-quarters Residents of northern Gaza are suffering from catastrophic levels of hunger, according to a UN-backed report.

Land crossings into Gaza, through which the bulk of vital aid traditionally enters the Strip, remain severely restricted by Israel. Aid agencies blamed Israelof stifling relief entry into the war-torn territories, although Israel has said it has “no limits” to the amount of relief it can bring in.

Before the war began, Israel imposed restrictions on access to and from Gaza by sea and air, and kept land crossings under tight control. It was hers Two functional crossings with sine The Erez crossing is designated for the movement of people, and Kerem Shalom is designated for goods.

Gaza also has one crossing with Egypt, at Rafah, which is managed by Egyptian authorities. Although Israel does not have direct control over this crossing, it monitors all activities in southern Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant pledged to stop supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to the Palestinian Strip after Hamas activists killed 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostage on October 7.

Aid began flowing through the Rafah crossing at the end of October, and after pressure from the United States, Israel began to Allowing aid trucks to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossingin late December – but at rates far lower than the 500 commercial and aid trucks the day before the war.

This is a developing story and will be updated.