Zikim Crossing Reopens to Aid Deliveries
The Zikim crossing, the principal northern entry point into the battered Gaza Strip, has been reopened to permit the flow of humanitarian aid into the region, Israeli officials said on Wednesday. The move comes roughly two months after Israeli forces closed the crossing and follows repeated appeals from United Nations aid agencies for direct access to the hard-hit north.
Ceasefire pledges vs. reality on the ground
Under the United States-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10, deliveries were meant to be dramatically increased — with at least 600 trucks a day expected to enter the Strip. Actual aid volumes have fallen far short of that target, and the UN has warned the hunger crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic. Convoys bound for the north, where famine conditions were declared in August, still face a slow and difficult route from the south.
“Today, the Zikim crossing has been opened for the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into the Gaza Strip,” COGAT said on X.
COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that aid entering via Zikim — supplied by the UN and other international organisations — will be subject to Israel’s standard security checks before being handed over to UN distribution channels. A COGAT spokesperson told AFP the crossing will remain open on a permanent basis.
Operational crossings and humanitarian needs
With Zikim reopened, three crossings into Gaza are now functioning: Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) in the south, al-Karara (Kissufim) in central Gaza, and Zikim in the north. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said that opening direct crossings to the north is vital to ensure sufficient aid reaches people as quickly as possible.
Violence continues amid aid deliveries
Residents welcomed the reopening, but dire humanitarian conditions persist more than a month after the ceasefire and amid continuing Israeli strikes. Al Jazeera teams on the ground reported three Israeli air raids on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza and artillery shelling east of the Jabalia refugee camp. Reporters also noted gunfire from Israeli positions east of the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.
These operations occurred as members of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, and a Red Cross team entered an area inside the so-called “yellow line” — the demarcation the Israeli military uses to mark territory under its control — in an effort to recover the bodies of captives. Since the ceasefire began, Hamas has released all 20 living captives and handed over the remains of 24 people as part of the first phase of the exchange; four bodies remain to be returned to complete that phase.
Political ripple effects
Amid ongoing searches and negotiations for the second phase of the deal, Ron Dermer, head of Israel’s delegation in the talks and minister of strategic affairs, announced his resignation on X. Dermer, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he did not know what the future holds but pledged to continue supporting Israel’s security. Netanyahu thanked him for his “tremendous help” and said he expected Dermer would continue to contribute in the future.
What this means: Reopening Zikim may improve the logistics of delivering aid directly to northern Gaza, but humanitarian agencies warn that security checks, ongoing hostilities and supply shortfalls will keep significant challenges for relief operations — and for civilians facing severe shortages.
