Overnight Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of dozens in Gaza, marking a dramatic escalation during what was intended to be a period of ceasefire. Palestinian officials have also reported that Israel has stopped allowing patients to cross through the Rafah border.

This development follows the recent partial reopening of the Rafah crossing, facilitated by a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

The series of strikes represents one of the most lethal days since the nearly four-month ceasefire began, even as the truce entered a new phase last month. Tensions remain high in the Gaza Strip, with both Israel and Hamas accusing one another of violating the ceasefire terms.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, the attacks resulted in the deaths of 24 individuals, including seven children, and left at least 38 more wounded.

The Israeli military stated that their strikes were in response to “terrorists opening fire on troops” on Wednesday, which left an officer seriously injured.

This surge in violence occurred just three days after Israel took steps to partially reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. This crossing, which serves as Gaza’s sole connection to the outside world that bypasses Israel, was meant to be part of the US-mediated ceasefire agreement.

Who has been allowed to pass through the Rafah crossing?

Israel reopened the Rafah border crossing on Monday for pedestrian passage, primarily to allow Palestinians needing urgent medical care to leave Gaza and a limited number of people to return.

Israeli forces seized control of the border in May 2024, after which it remained mostly closed.

More than 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza need medical treatment abroad and hope to leave through Rafah, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.

Thousands of others who were stranded outside the territory are also seeking to return home.

However, only a small number of people have been permitted to cross since the reopening.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said 46 people were set to cross into Egypt on Wednesday, but only 20 were allowed to travel. The remaining 26 were returned to Gaza, according to Reuters.

On Tuesday, 16 patients from Gaza and 40 of their escorts crossed into Egypt, Gazan medics told Reuters. A Hamas police source said at least 40 people crossed from Egypt to Gaza late on the same day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the reopening was limited to “pedestrian passage only” and wouldn’t be used to bring aid into Gaza.

Speaking last week, Netanyahu did not specify how many people would be allowed to cross, but estimated it would be “50 people plus family members coming in”.

“We are not going to prevent anyone from leaving,” he added.

Why have crossings been disrupted?

Palestinian health authorities said patients preparing to cross through Rafah on Wednesday were told that Israel had postponed their passage through the border.

Israel’s military liaison agency, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, said the crossing remained open, but that it had not received the necessary details from the World Health Organization to facilitate the crossings.

An Egyptian security source told Reuters that Israel had cited security issues in the Rafah area as the reason for the temporary disruption, but said those issues had since been resolved and work had resumed at the border.

Reopening the Rafah crossing was one of the requirements under the October ceasefire agreement, which set out the first phase of a US-backed plan to halt fighting between Israel and Hamas.

The partial reopening raised hopes among Palestinians seeking medical treatment or hoping to return home, but expectations have since cooled amid the limited number of crossings and repeated disruptions.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) described the reopening as an “important milestone”, emphasising that civilians must be able to leave and return voluntarily and safely under international law.

“Humanitarian needs in Gaza remain immense. Supplies must be allowed to enter in sufficient quantities and with far fewer restrictions, through Rafah and all available crossings, so that aid can reach people wherever they are needed most,” UNOCHA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor of Middle East and Central Asian Politics at Deakin University, told SBS News earlier this week the reopening would also be “very important” for rebuilding Gaza, but said aid needed to enter the territory.

“Forcing people to leave Gaza for medical aid instead of allowing the assistance to come into Gaza is a problem,” he said.

“It’s a poisoned chalice, as many people who leave may struggle or not be allowed by Israel to return to Gaza.”

80 per cent of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged, according to the UN.

Some Gazans say they are torn between remaining in exile without formal status or returning to a land in ruins.

“Return to Gaza for what? To live in a tent?” Mohamed, a 78-year-old poet from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, told Agence France-Presse.

“We have not turned our backs on Gaza, we will return. But right now, we cannot go back under these conditions.”

— With reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Pesse.

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