TEL AVIV, November 18 (RIA Novosti) – Israel resumed the supply of goods and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the sole cargo terminal at the joint border closed since the Israeli military launched an offensive against Palestinian militants, army officials said on Sunday.
About 70 of 120 trucks loaded with medicines, food supplies, household gas and basic necessities have already passed through the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza.
“This is a complex and dangerous operation because the entire border crossing area is subjected to rocket and mortar fire. We are carrying out this operation in coordination with the Palestinian [national] administration and various international institutions,” Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Guy Inbar said.
The trucks passed through the crossing for the first time since Wednesday when Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense, killing Hamas military chief Ahmed al-Jabari and attacking hundreds of rocket-launching sites, ammunition depots and “terrorist” cells that belong to radical Islamist groups operating in Gaza, primarily Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Palestinian militants have fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
