Israel Partially Reopens Gaza’s Commercial Crossing

Trucks carrying fuel for the Gaza Strip enter Rafah through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2014. (File Photo: AFP Photo)
Trucks carrying fuel for the Gaza Strip enter Rafah through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2014. (File Photo: AFP Photo)
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Israel Partially Reopens Gaza’s Commercial Crossing

Trucks carrying fuel for the Gaza Strip enter Rafah through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2014. (File Photo: AFP Photo)
Trucks carrying fuel for the Gaza Strip enter Rafah through the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2014. (File Photo: AFP Photo)

Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that Kerem Shalom Gaza's only commercial crossing will reopen following a decrease in incendiary balloons flown from Gaza Strip.

Lieberman’s office issued a statement announcing that in addition to food and medicine, fuel and gas will be allowed into Gaza Strip for the first time in a week.

"Gaza's residents need to understand that as long there are incendiary balloons and fires as on our side, life on their side will not return to a normal routine,” noted Lieberman adding that the crossing could return to full activity soon conditioned on the full cessation of fire-balloon launches and friction on the fence.

On July 9, Israel partially closed Kerem Shalom crossing in response to the incendiary kites. A week later, it imposed a complete shutdown of the crossing and banned gas and fuel from entering into the Strip, as a punishment for the continued phenomenon of incendiary kite.

The closure of the crossing was accompanied by other decisions, such as reducing the fishing area from 9 to 3 miles, before Hamas stopped flaming kites aircraft after a second deal was established between Gaza and Israel last Sunday.

Israel confirmed that Hamas had agreed to include balloons and kites as part of the deal. Hamas did not comment on the matter.

In fact, the fire kites stopped for several days before activists sent some of them on Monday and Tuesday.

Israel says the incendiary kites burned about 28,000 dunums of agricultural land, a figure that could not be ascertained, or to what extent the fires actually caused damage.

The decision to open the Kerem Shalom crossing came at a time when Palestinian officials said the Strip was about to collapse given that the economic crisis inside Gaza was exacerbating, while important sectors in Gaza have warned that the extended closure of the crossing would mean the cessation of its services.

Gaza's Health Ministry warned that the local health sector in the Strip stands on the verge of a "severe crisis" due to a chronic lack of fuel for emergency generators.

"What remains of a fuel grant will only meet our electricity needs until the first or second week of next month," said Ashraf Abu-Mahadi, the head of the ministry's international cooperation department.

Hospitals in Gaza need at least 450,000 liters of fuel to continue operating each month, according to Abu-Mahadi. He explained that emergency generators were needed to cope with frequent power outages, caused by Israel's ongoing blockade, that can sometimes last for up to 16 hours at a stretch.

"This means Gaza's ongoing health crisis will only worsen, further disrupting basic health services," he warned.

Gaza's power company announced on Monday a further reduction in the Strip’s electricity supply after its sole power station stopped functioning. As a result, Gazans will lack power for 18 hours a day instead of 16.

Meanwhile, a power line used to deliver electricity from Israel has been cut off for about a week.

"We are trying to supply electricity to the residents of Gaza at the minimal extent of four hours a day, but this is also doubtful," Mohammed Thabet, spokesman for Gaza's Electricity Distribution Company said. Gaza residents will experience power blackouts for more than the 16 hours a day that has been the norm, added the company.

Gaza's energy authority did not explain why the power station was shut, a source told Haaretz that a lack of diesel fuel caused the closure. According to the authority's figures, Gaza requires 600 megawatts of electricity a day, but the power station, when it functions, provides only 120. Israel provides about another 120 megawatts, while Egypt supplies another 20.

Palestinian Authority and Hamas are in dispute over the administration of the Strip, exacerbating the electricity crisis. Israel, as well as the United States and the United Nations, are considering ideas on establishing and building a power plant in Gaza.



Jordan Shifts Strategy Against Muslim Brotherhood Following Plot to ‘Stir Chaos’

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani announces details of terrorist cell arrests in Amman on Tuesday. (Petra)
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani announces details of terrorist cell arrests in Amman on Tuesday. (Petra)
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Jordan Shifts Strategy Against Muslim Brotherhood Following Plot to ‘Stir Chaos’

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani announces details of terrorist cell arrests in Amman on Tuesday. (Petra)
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani announces details of terrorist cell arrests in Amman on Tuesday. (Petra)

Jordanian authorities said they thwarted plans aimed at stirring chaos and causing material damage in the kingdom, in a move that analysts say may signal a strategic shift in how the state deals with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

The General Intelligence Department (GID) announced on Tuesday it had foiled “schemes targeting national security and aimed at sowing disorder and sabotage inside the country.”

According to the GID, 16 individuals were arrested in connection with the alleged plots, which officials say had been under close surveillance since 2021.

Sources familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat the developments could mark a turning point in Amman’s approach to the banned group, long considered a sensitive political issue in the kingdom.

Jordan is preparing for a strategic shift in how it deals with the Muslim Brotherhood, a senior political source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The source said the group had been operating without official recognition, but recent indictments and alleged foreign ties suggest that Amman is poised to adopt a tougher approach.

“If the movement has so far been active despite questions over its legal status, the charges laid out and the extent of its external links point to a coming change in how the kingdom deals with the Islamist movement,” the source said.

It added that the group’s activities would be subject to legal scrutiny and prosecution once court rulings are issued against those accused of belonging to its cells.

The source also revealed that the discovery of powerful explosives stored in residential homes points to the possible existence of armed militias posing a threat to Jordan's internal and external security.

Other Jordanian sources revealed that short-range rockets uncovered during a recent security operation were part of a broader effort to form ideologically driven, armed militias aimed at destabilizing the country from within.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources estimated the missiles—believed to have a range of no more than five kilometers—were intended for sabotage and terrorist operations on Jordanian soil.

The activities were described as part of a recruitment strategy embedded in religious rhetoric aimed at mobilizing followers.

The sources stressed the importance of a legal and political separation between the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front, which currently holds 31 seats in parliament.

“Ensuring the rule of law applies equally to all actors is now a priority,” one source said, noting that the circumstances surrounding the case reveal the danger of providing fertile ground for cross-border agendas and the spread of extremist ideology through armed factions.

Authorities reiterated Jordan’s official position advocating moderation and rejecting extremism. “Jordan must not become a source of instability threatening its neighbors,” one official said, highlighting the country’s commitment to peace.

While popular sentiment in Jordan continues to view Israel as an adversary, the official stance remains aligned with the 1994 peace treaty, which was ratified by parliament and remains in force.

Amman has also warned against Israel’s efforts to portray itself as a security target—a label officials fear could be used to justify expanded military operations in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.

Jordan views such moves, including potential displacement policies in Gaza or the West Bank, as a direct threat to its national interests.

Jordanian authorities have said that while four terrorist cells identified by security forces have been active since May 2021, there is no operational connection to the Hamas-led attacks during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation against Israel in October 2023.

However, intelligence sources revealed that key figures within the Muslim Brotherhood received directives from foreign entities, though these were not named.

According to the sources, the suspects maintained communications with external groups, receiving funds from regional countries. They were also trained in southern Lebanon, suggesting ties to Hezbollah and Hamas operatives in the area.

Further investigations revealed potential Iranian financial support, with some evidence linking Tehran to efforts aimed at escalating tensions along the eastern front against Israel. These activities, the sources suggest, could be part of broader regional strategic moves.