IOF Continues to Shut Down Rafah, Karem Abu Salem Crossings for 17 Consecutive Days

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continue to shut down the Rafah border crossing and the Karem Abu Salem commercial crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, for the 17th consecutive day, amid warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe. On May 7, the IOF occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and stopped the flow of aid to the Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency (Wafa) reported, adding that, since May 5, the IOF has also shut down the Karem Abu Salem commercial crossing southeast of Rafah, preventing the entry of humanitarian and medical aid. According to press sources, the IOF has been preventing the entry of more than 3,000 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip ever since it shut down the two crossings in early May. The IOF has also prevented about 700 sick and wounded Palestinians from leaving the besieged Gaza Strip to get medical treatment. United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said yesterday that, during the past two weeks, the Israeli entity fo rced more than 810,000 Palestinians to flee Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, to other areas. "Every time families are displaced, their lives are at serious risk," UNRWA said, adding, "people are forced to leave everything behind looking for safety, but there is no safe zone." Source: Qatar News Agency