Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the sole crossing that circumvents Israel, was targeted by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday for the second time within 24 hours, according to local media sources.
Eyewitnesses reported that the strike struck the area between the Egyptian and Palestinian gates, causing damage to the hall on the Palestinian side.
The Israel military said it could “neither confirm or deny” any strike on the crossing “at this point”.
This marked the second instance of the crossing being targeted since Israel initiated an intense bombardment of Gaza in response to a surprise attack by the territory’s Hamas leaders on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of over 900 individuals in Israel.
The earlier strike on Monday temporarily suspended passage through the crossing, as reported by a security source and witnesses.
There has been no comment from the Egyptian authorities.
Israel has declared a “complete siege” of Gaza, severing access to food, water, and electricity for the 2.3 million residents of the territory.
The United Nations stated on Tuesday that the blockade was in violation of international law and urged the creation of “a humanitarian corridor.”
Travel via the Rafah crossing is limited to humanitarian situations and necessitates often lengthy authorization processes.
Egypt has traditionally acted as an intermediary between Hamas and Israel.
