CORRECTS - US says Israel committed to reopening Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday

CORRECTS SECOND PARAGRAPH, MINOR EDITS

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Tuesday that Israel has committed to reopening the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday and the Rafah crossing for fuel delivery -- crucial routes for getting humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

"Israel has committed to reopen Kerem Shalom tomorrow. We are working to make sure that actually happens, so humanitarian assistance can continue to come through," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Noting that the Kerem Shalom crossing was closed because of a Hamas attack, Miller said the US wants to see it reopened as “soon as possible.”

"Same thing with Rafah. They said that Rafah will reopen for the delivery of fuel which is incredibly important to be salinization of water, it's incredibly important to fueling the trucks that deliver humanitarian assistance once it's inside Gaza, and it's incredibly important for running bakeries that deliver bread for the population that needs it so much, but we want to see it fully reopen," added Miller.

The Israeli army said Tuesday that its forces have seized control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing from southern Gaza into Egypt.

Despite Hamas accepting a Qatari-Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, Israel’s War Cabinet decided to push ahead with an operation in Rafah.

The army issued immediate evacuation orders early Monday for Palestinians in eastern Rafah.

Rafah is home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians who have taken refuge from the war launched by Israel following an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed less than 1,200 people.

Since then, the Israeli onslaught has killed more than 34,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in addition to causing a humanitarian catastrophe.