Israel Closes Main Humanitarian Aid Crossing Into Gaza After Hamas Attack

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, while the defense minister claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a cease-fire deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza.”

Both struck blows to ongoing cease-fire efforts in Cairo mediated by Egypt and Qatar after reported signs of progress. Israel hasn’t sent a delegation, unlike Hamas, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “we see signs that Hamas does not intend to go to any agreement.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from hard-liners in his government, continued to lower expectations for a cease-fire deal, calling the Hamas demands “extreme” — including the withdrawal of Israel forces from Gaza and an end to the war. That would equal surrender after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the fighting, Netanyahu said.

Hamas didn’t immediately respond to Gallant’s comments. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a statement earlier said the militant group was serious and positive about the negotiations and stopping Israeli aggression in Gaza is the main priority.

But Israel’s government again vowed to press on with a military operation in Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city on the border with Egypt where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents now seek shelter from Israeli attacks. Rafah is a key entry point for aid.

Kerem Shalom, now closed, is another. The Israeli military reported 10 projectiles were launched at the crossing in southern Israel and said its fighter jets later struck the source. Hamas said it had been targeting Israeli soldiers in the area. Israel’s Channel 12 TV