Exclusive: Israel plans to re-open Karni crossing into Gaza amid growing concerns for Palestinians in Rafah

"The trickle of aid from Karm Abu Salem is intercepted by the looters. The trucks find it very difficult to pass through these looters. It's very hard to reach any area, let alone the north. Drivers are killed every day."

Al Majalla has contacted the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for comment on the Karni crossing re-opening plan and its connection to a Rafah offensive.

"We don't comment on this topic," said an official at the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

Forced to flee again

Israeli preparations at the crossing started a few days after the White House said it would not support any major Israeli operations in the densely populated southern city of Rafah without due consideration for the million internally displaced people who have sought shelter there.

Many have had to move five or six times to date. They might be displaced yet again and forced to flee back to the north as the anticipated ground offensive unfolds.

That is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised, vowing to defeat Hamas. He said the ground operation would only start after the IDF had allowed Gaza's civilian population to leave the battle zones.

The reopening of Karni would be very significant, says Michael Horowitz, the head of Intelligence for Le Beck, a Middle East-based geopolitical consultancy. 

"I doubt Israel would be taking this step without it being part of an agreement either to pave the way for an offensive against Rafah or to release the Israeli hostages in Gaza as part of a deal with Hamas," Horowitz told Al Majalla.

"Karni has been closed for years, even before 7 October, and could serve to provide aid to northern Gaza or as an alternative to the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossing if those are not functioning due to a potential Israeli offensive in Rafah."

The IDF is yet to declare an operation or ask residents in Rafah to evacuate, as required by international law.

Ahead of the offensives in the north and in Khan Younis, the IDF officially asked the residents — mainly via leaflets — to leave their houses and head towards the south. Around 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah. Its normal pre-war population is around 400,000.

The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants entered Israel on 7 October and killed at least 1,200 people while taking a further 253 as hostages.

According to the Hamas-run health authorities, more than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza ever since — the majority women and children.

No time to lose

The revelations about Karni come as Israeli, Egyptian, American and Qatari officials hold talks about a deal to free the hostages and agree on a long-term truce. The talks are urgent as the humanitarian crisis in the Strip grows by the hour.

International organisations have urged a massive increase in aid to avoid famine, especially in the north and in Gaza City, which are nearly fully controlled by the IDF, after four months of air strikes and fighting.

Aid workers say there is such a severe shortage of basic supplies that a 25kg bag of flour can sell for up to $350 in some areas of the devastated territory.

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A senior officer at a UN aid organisation told Al Majalla that they had not yet been made aware of any aid operations though the Karni crossing.

"We don't deal with any entity that carries weapons," he said. "If there are new plans for aid deliveries, we will deal directly with the Israeli Foreign Ministry. That's our liaison point, not the IDF."

The Israeli government is facing growing international pressure to allow more humanitarian relief into Gaza, yet hundreds of Israeli protesters have blocked aid trucks from entering the Strip from the Karem Shalom or Karm Abu Salem crossing.

They include right-wing activists, families of hostages, and parents of IDF reservists deployed in Gaza. They want no aid for Gaza until all hostages are released. 

Israel says 12,561 trucks carrying 230,900 tons of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since the start of the war, according to figures released this week by COGAT.

But UN bodies and international human rights organisations warn of an imminent famine, adding that the Strip is now largely uninhabitable due to the massive destruction of residential units.

Under international humanitarian law, there is a duty during conflict to prevent the killing of civilians and to allow for the provision of humanitarian assistance.

Already moving

Al Majalla has also learnt that large numbers of displaced Palestinians in Rafah are already evacuating their homes and tents.

This is particularly noticeable in the east of the district, the border area between Gaza and Egypt (known as the Philadelphi Corridor), and the southeast neighbourhood of Al Shabora.

The latter was the scene of an overnight Israeli raid earlier this week, during which IDF soldiers rescued two hostages.

Israeli forces carried out intensive airstrikes in the area during the raid, killing at least 50 Palestinian civilians, according to reliable accounts.

The UN has warned that an Israeli ground assault on Rafah could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe as the people there are crammed into the city with very little food or medicine and just three hospitals.

A growing number of world leaders, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, have expressed their grave concern, saying a military operation in Rafah would be "catastrophic".

However, Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday that Hamas must be eliminated and promised a "powerful" operation "until complete victory."