Despite the constant fire into Israel, the Kerem Shalom crossing remains open during Operation Protective Edge.

The flow of goods and fuel into the Gaza Strip continues. In the last three days a total of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian supply entered the Gaza Strip, maintaining an average of 100 trucks per day carrying food and fuel to Gaza.

There is no shortage of food or fuel in Gaza and there are no signs of a humanitarian crisis. Medicines and medical equipment have passed continuously as well through the two crossings.

While the entry of larger quantities of food was approved to alleviate the fears of the Palestinian population, the ban on cement and equipment that could be used by terrorist organizations remains in effect.

The Kerem Shalom crossing continues to operate with high security. The IDF acceded to the request of hundreds of Palestinians who hold foreign citizenship to leave the Gaza Strip - including the USA, Sweden, Greece, Serbia and Romania. The Erez Crossing in northern Gaza also remains open to Palestinians pedestrians for humanitarian cases.

General Yoav Mordechai, Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, noted that terrorist organizations daily attack the crossing through which Israel allowed trucks carrying supplies to enter the Gaza Strip.

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge (8 July) 673 trucks entered Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing, carrying food, medicines and medical equipment.

Since the beginning of the operation the following amounts were provided to the Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing:

• 2.8 million liters of diesel for the power station in Gaza Strip
• 1.4 million liters of fuel
• 304,000 liters of gasoline for transportation
• 1084 tons of gas for domestic needs.
  

 
Erez Crossing: Since the beginning of the operation, there were 1,272 Palestinians entered Israel from Gaza and 1,066 from Israel into Gaza. So far, Israel has coordinated 27 cases of back-to-back ambulance procedures, mainly from Gaza to Israel (58 Palestinian patients were hospitalized in Israel) and Jordan, but also vice versa. 247 Jordanian field hospital staff members crossed into Gaza to replace their colleges. 1000 units of blood from Jordan and the Red Cross were transferred to Gaza.

On Saturday, 19 July, since the Kerem Shalom Crossing was closed due to Hamas attacks, five trucks entered Gaza Strip via the Erez Crossing, carrying 100 tons of medicines and medical equipment (antibiotics, first aid kits etc.).


  Medical supplies Gaza enter Gaza, July 19, 2014
  Copyright: IDF Spokesperson

On Sunday evening (20 July) Israel opened a field hospital near the Erez Crossing in order to tend injured and sick Palestinian civilians.

Since the beginning of the operation, Israel has carried out 24 infrastructural repairs: 10 electrical repairs; 10 water supply repairs; 2 sewage repairs; 2 communication repairs.

On Friday (18 July), two high voltage lines supplying electricity from Israel to northern Gaza Strip were repaired, despite the dangers to which Israeli Electrical Corporation workers were exposed due to Hamas firing rockets on this area. The two lines provide a total of 25 Mega-Watt from Israel to some 40,000 people in the Gaza Strip.


  Humanitarian aid to Gaza
  Copyright: IDF Spokesperson


During the week of July 6-10, the following goods entered the Gaza Strip from Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing:

       3,540 tons of food
          960 tons of cooking gas
   520,000 liters of gasoline
   932,000 liters of diesel fuel for public transport
1,591,000 liters of diesel fuel for electricity plants

1217 people received permission to cross through the Erez Crossing, including 632 humanitarian cases.


On Friday, July 11, and Sunday, July 13, the following goods entered the Gaza Strip from Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing:

       197 tons of cooking gas
  72,000 liters of gasoline
410,000 liters of diesel fuel for public transport
495,000 liters of diesel fuel for electricity plants
Over 500 foreign citizens left the Gaza Strip to Israel via the Erez Crossing.

List of goods entering the Gaza Strip on Monday, July 14:

Food - 46 trucks
Animal feed mixture - 26 trucks
Medicine - 1 truck
Gas - 6 trucks (127 tons)
Fuel - 21 trucks (751,000 liters)
Total trucks - 100

On Tuesday (15 July), 102 trucks entered Gaza from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Food - 55 trucks
Animal feed mixture - 21 trucks
Hygiene products - 2 trucks
Gas - 7 trucks (151 tons)
Fuel - 17 trucks (601,000 liters)
Total trucks - 102

T

h

e

Erez Crossing was open but pedestrian traffic was interrupted by Hamas on the Gazan side.

On Wednesday (16 July), a total of 94 trucks entered Gaza at the Kerem Shalom Crossing, providing food, medicines, 169 tons of cooking gas and 640,000 liters of fuel.

Two out of the ten high-power lines that Israel uses to provide electricity to Gaza were hit yesterday by Hamas rockets. The Israeli Electricity Corporation (IEC), which provides power to Gaza, will not be able to repair the two lines due to the immediate threat to the lives of its technicians when doing repairs in open areas subject to frequent rocket attack.