WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that the U.S. expects the Kerem Shalom crossing to be reopened to humanitarian aid for Gaza on Wednesday.
Watch the briefing in the player above.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel are critical entry points for food, medicine and other supplies for Gaza's 2.3 million people. They have been closed for at least the past two days, although the smaller Erez crossing between Israel and northern Gaza continues to operate.
Kerem Shalom was closed after a Hamas mortar attack there killed soldiers. Rafah was seized by Israeli forces early Tuesday morning.
The U.N. warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, at a time when officials say northern Gaza is experiencing "full-blown famine."