Kerem Shalom border crossing

Kerem Shalom crossing

מעבר כרם שלום
معبر كرم أبو سالم
Coordinates31°13′15″N 34°16′14″E / 31.22083°N 34.27056°E / 31.22083; 34.27056
CarriesGoods, supplies
CrossesGaza–Israel barrier
LocaleIsrael
Gaza Strip
Statistics
Daily traffic250 trucks/day (2012)[1]
Location
Map
Cargo entering Gaza at Kerem Shalom crossing

Kerem Shalom border crossing (Hebrew: מעבר כרם שלום, "Vineyard of Peace";[2] Arabic: معبر كرم أبو سالم, Karem Abu Salem) is a border crossing at the junction of two border sections: one between the Gaza Strip and Israel, and one between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. It is used by trucks carrying goods from Israel or Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

Operation

Until 2007, European monitors from the European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EUBAM Rafah) used the Kerem Shalom crossing to get to the Rafah Border Crossing.[3] The EUBAM heads a Liaison Office at Kerem Shalom which receives real-time video and data feeds of the activities at the Rafah crossing. The Liaison Office meets regularly to review implementation of the Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing, to resolve any dispute pertaining to the agreement, and to perform other tasks specified therein. The Liaison Office is staffed by liaison officers from EUBAM, the Palestinian Authority, and the Government of Israel.

In the early 2010s, NIS 75 million was invested in upgrading and expanding the crossing, which is capable of handling 450 trucks a day.[1]

The Palestinian side of the crossing is operated by two families who were granted a franchise by the Palestinian Authority and authorized by Hamas. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Ramallah coordinates activity with Israel. The two sides are 400 meters apart, separated by a drop-off zone for unloading goods.[1]

The Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels have been used to evade import taxes imposed by Hamas (which seized control of Gaza in 2007), as well as to smuggle in goods that Israel has banned from entering Gaza.[4] After deposing Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the Egyptian military shut down many tunnels in 2014 and 2015.[4][5] Israel bans the import into Gaza of weapons and dual-use goods (products that have civilian applications but may be diverted for military use),[6] although many of these banned items are smuggled through tunnels.[7]

The Israeli side of the crossing was at one point managed by the Israel Airports Authority,[8] but is now managed by the Crossings Administration within the Ministry of Defense.[9]

History and incidents

2006 Gilad Shalit incident

On 25 June 2006, Corporal Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian nationalist Al Qassam militants near Kerem Shalom after the attackers infiltrated the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel via a tunnel. Two Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers were killed and three others wounded, in addition to Shalit. In response and with the mission of rescuing Shalit, the IDF entered the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Summer Rains on 28 June.[10] Shalit was freed in a prisoner exchange on 18 October 2011.[11]

2008 Al Qassam attack

On 19 April 2008, Palestinian suicide[ambiguous] bombers detonated their explosives-laden vehicles at the crossing. According to the IDF, two jeeps and an APC (armored personnel carrier) were used and two vehicles were detonated, killing three bombers and wounding 13 Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were protected from serious injury by fortifications at the crossing. A second APC close to the border north of Kerem Shalom was blown up by Israeli fire soon after the bombing. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. According to Abu Obeidah, spokesman for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, four booby-trapped[ambiguous] vehicles were used, three of which exploded and one withdrew. He described it as "a gift for the people under siege" and "a purely military operation".[12]

2012 attack; easing of restrictions

Danny Danon and Nikki Haley at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in June 2017

On 5 August 2012, the crossing was attacked by a group of masked gunmen who had killed 16 police officers and hijacked armored jeeps from an Egyptian border checkpoint. One jeep, apparently booby-trapped, rammed the checkpoint and exploded; the other was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force.[13]

In December 2012, Israel eased its restrictions on the import of building materials, allowing the transfer of 20 truckloads of aggregates and 34 truckloads of gravel from Egypt. The volume is expected to increase to 100 trucks a day.[14]

2018: Hamas tunnel into Israel

On 14 January 2018, Israeli Air Force planes demolished a "terror tunnel" that passed under the Kerem Shalom Crossing from Gaza into Israel. The Israeli Defense Force said the tunnel belonged to Hamas. The tunnel started in the Rafiah area 900 meters (2,953 feet) into Gaza and extended 180 meters (591 feet) into Israel. It passed under the gas pipeline between Egypt and Gaza."[15]

2018 arson attacks

In May 2018, Palestinian rioters set parts of the Kerem Shalom crossing ablaze three times, causing significant damage to infrastructure, including fuel pipelines and conveyor belts.[16] Israeli authorities shut the crossing for a few days to assess damage before reopening it.[16] On 9 July 2018, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing for all deliveries (except humanitarian deliveries), in retaliation for attacks against Israel using incendiary kites and balloons. The border crossing was reopened in mid-August 2018, after a few weeks of calm.[17]

2019 rocket attacks, closure

In March 2019, Israeli authorities closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings for a week in response to renewed Palestinian rocket attacks, launched from Gaza, against Israel.[18] Both border crossings were reopened a week later, following Egyptian mediation.[18]

2023 Islamic Jihad attack

In May 2023, during Gaza-Israel clashes, Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched dozens of rockets at the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings.[19] The crossings were shuttered after Israel launched Operation Shield and Arrow in response, but the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced, a few days later, a gradual reopening of both crossings.[19] In early September 2023, Israeli officials halted commercial exports from Gaza after inspectors discovered several kilograms of "high-quality explosives" concealed in an apparel shipment.[20][21] Later that month, the Kerem Shalom crossing was reopened, allowing shipments of goods and fuel to resume. The Erez crossing remained closed at the time.[22]

2023 Hamas attack, war

See also: 7 October attacks and Israel–Hamas war

In October 2023, Karem Shalom was one of several targets attacked by Hamas as part of a coordinated multi-front assault on Israel, a surprise attack that caught Israel off-guard.[23] The crossing had been scheduled to be closed during that day's Simchat Torah holiday, other than for humanitarian and medical supplies.[24] The crossing was at first kept closed during the ensuing IDF operations.[25] On 22 October, the Israel Defense Forces apologised for accidentally firing and hitting an Egyptian post adjacent to the border area.[26][27] The crossing was reopened for UN aid trucks on 17 December 2023, to abide by an agreement made during the hostages-for-prisoners exchanges, with 100 trucks of humanitarian aid being allowed through daily to add to the 100 permitted through the Rafah Border Crossing.[28][29][30] X-ray scanners were donated by the Netherlands in December 2023, although aid trucks still undergo manual inspections.[31] Israeli protesters accusing Israel of helping its enemy and harming own troops, repeatedly blocked the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.[32][33] The crossing was again closed on 5 May 2024 following a rocket attack on an Israeli military base,[34] but was reopened for humanitarian aid on 8 May 2024.[35]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Egypt's holy war against Sinai jihadists leaves many questions unanswered
  2. ^ Douglas Hamilton, Israel boosts Gaza freight flow as blockade eases, Reuters (21 June 2010).
  3. ^ Khalid Amayreh (23 June 2006). "Hamas threatens to end Rafah deal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b Hana Salah, Amid crackdown, tunnel smuggling is risky business in Gaza, Al Monitor (19 June 2015).
  5. ^ Diaa Hadid and Wissam Nassar, As Egypt Floods Gaza Tunnels, Smugglers Fear an End to Their Trade, New York Times (8 October 2015).
  6. ^ Karin Laub, Israel to allow most goods into Gaza, NBC News (5 July 2010).
  7. ^ Gaza recovers three dead bodies from smuggling tunnels, Associated Press (3 September 2021).
  8. ^ Israel approves 250 tons of aid to enter Gaza, Jerusalem Post (10 November 2011).
  9. ^ Kerem Shalom, Ministry of Regional Cooperation, 5 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Airstrikes and artillery pound Gaza". CNN. 30 June 2006. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  11. ^ "Gilad Shalit walks free after five years as a Hamas captive in exchange for 1.027 Palestinians". The Daily Mirror. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Palestinian Suicide Bombers Attack Gaza Crossing". The New York Times. 20 April 2008.
  13. ^ Yaakov Katz (6 August 2012). "IDF thwarts complex terror infiltration from Sinai". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  14. ^ Israel, in Shift, Lets Building Materials Cross Into Gaza, New York Times
  15. ^ "IDF demolishes terror tunnel under Egypt-Gaza border crossing".
  16. ^ a b Judah Ari Gross/Associated Press, Israel to reopen Gaza crossing after rioters burn it for 3rd time (15 May 2018).
  17. ^ Israel reopens Gaza cargo crossing after calm, BBC News (15 August 2018).
  18. ^ a b Gaza violence: Crossings reopen after negotiated 'calm', BBC News (31 March 2019).
  19. ^ a b Israel reopens Gaza crossings, shut since launch of Operation Shield and Arrow, Times of Israel (14 May 2023).
  20. ^ Israel to end ban on exports from Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian officials say, Reuters (8 September 2023).
  21. ^ Tzvi Joffre, Gaza border crossing restricted after explosives smuggling attempt, Jerusalem Post (4 September 2023).
  22. ^ Staff, Kerem Shalom Gaza border crossing to reopen despite violent clashes, Jerusalem Post (23 September 2023).
  23. ^ Sean Seddon and Daniele Palumbo, How Hamas staged lightning assault no one thought possible, (8 October 2023).
  24. ^ "General closure in Judea and Samaria, Gaza crossings to close during Simchat Torah". www.israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  25. ^ "Escalation in the Gaza Strip and Israel | Flash Update No. 2 – occupied Palestinian territory". ReliefWeb.int. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Israeli Tank 'Accidentally' Fires and Hits Egyptian Post in South Rafah: IDF". Egyptian Streets. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Israel accidentally hits Egyptian post at Gaza border: IDF". Global News. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Israel to use Kerem Shalom crossing to help ease aid congestion into Gaza". i24NEWS. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  29. ^ "על רקע לחץ אמריקני: ישראל שוקלת לפתוח את מעבר כרם שלום להכנסת סיוע לעזה – וואלה! חדשות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 12 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Kerem Shalom crossing also opens to aid & Israel approved the entry of aid". JPost staff, Reuters for The Jerusalem Post. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Just how bad is it in Gaza?". The Economist. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Protest barred from bid to block aid trucks at Gaza crossing". The Times of Israel. 21 December 2023.
  33. ^ "Over 100 aid trucks 'blocked' from entering Gaza by protesters". Al Jazeera. 6 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Israel closes Karem Abu Salem crossing after Hamas rocket attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Israel says reopening key Gaza border point as it steps up Rafah attacks". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
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