Israel has authorized the Erez crossing to be temporarily reopened, but aid shipments are likely to face significant logistical challenges because of just how much destruction there is in northern Gaza, especially to the road infrastructure, according to a CNN analysis of recent satellite imagery.
For the border crossing to be truly functional, authorities or aid agencies will likely need to clear and repair northern Gaza’s roads or pave new ones, beyond the immediate crossing complex.
Several roadways in the crossing complex were bombed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the weeks after the attack. The new satellite images from Maxar Technologies show that further destruction by bombing and bulldozing occurred after the IDF ground invasion began in late October.
Some major roadways in the four towns closest to the crossing — Beit Lahia, Jabalya, Izbat Beit Hanoun and Beit Hanoun — have large craters that span the entirety of their surface. Others, including many side streets, are covered in debris and the remains of large residential buildings.
The Erez border crossing has been closed since Hamas militants stormed it – and took a number of prisoners from it – during the October 7 attack.
Israel has yet to say when and what kind of aid it will allow through the crossing. It’s also unclear whether the DF will allow for aid distribution in northern Gaza, where they have been ordering all Palestinians to leave for months.
Oxfam and the United Nations estimate that well over a million Palestinians fled the north to the South, and only about 300,000 Palestinians remain in northern Gaza despite those IDF orders.
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