Colombie: Washington a frappé un bateau d’une guérilla, Trump suspend des aides

Les Etats-Unis s’apprêtent à suspendre les aides financières à Bogota, après avoir annoncé dimanche une nouvelle frappe contre un navire dans les Caraïbes, le président américain Donald Trump accusant son homologue colombien Gustavo Petro d’être “un baron de la drogue”.Estimant que le locataire de la Maison Blanche était “trompé” par ses “conseillers”, M. Petro a estimé lundi sur son compte X que la politique antidrogue américaine avait “causé un million de morts en Amérique latine” et n’était qu'”un prétexte pour contrôler cette région”, notamment afin d'”obtenir le pétrole bon marché du Venezuela”.Cette politique “connue sous le nom de guerre contre la drogue, est une stratégie qui a échoué”, selon le premier président colombien de gauche. “C’est pourquoi des missiles tombent dans les Caraïbes, comme à Gaza, sur des bateaux transportant des personnes qui, qu’elles soient impliquées ou non dans le trafic de drogue, ont le droit de vivre”, a poursuivi M. Petro.D’après le chef du Pentagone, Pete Hegseth, la frappe a visé vendredi un bateau affilié à la guérilla colombienne de l’Armée de libération nationale (ELN) accusé de transporter de la drogue, et fait trois morts.Il s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une expansion de l’opération militaire de Washington dans la mer des Caraïbes, où sont déployés des navires de guerre américains, au large du Venezuela, depuis le mois d’août.Cette nouvelle offensive porte à au moins sept le nombre de bateaux ciblés par les forces américaines, et à au moins 30 le nombre de morts.Les experts s’interrogent sur la légalité de ces frappes contre des suspects ni interceptés ni interrogés.Gustavo Petro “ne fait rien pour arrêter” la production de drogue, a écrit dimanche le président américain Donald Trump sur son réseau Truth Social, accusant son homologue colombien d’être un “baron de la drogue qui encourage fortement la production massive de stupéfiants” dans son pays. Avant de s’en prendre au président colombien, Donald Trump avait accusé le président vénézuelien Nicolas Maduro, d’être à la tête d’une vaste organisation de trafic de drogue vers les Etats-Unis.M. Trump a annoncé suspendre le versement des aides financières accordées à Bogota, sans préciser lesquelles.La Colombie est le pays d’Amérique du Sud recevant le plus d’aide financière des Etats-Unis, selon les données américaines, avec plus de 740 millions de dollars versés en 2023, dernière année dont les données sont disponibles.La moitié des versements sont dédiés à la lutte contre la drogue. Le reste soutient notamment des programmes humanitaires et alimentaires.- Relation au plus bas -A bord d’Air Force One, Donald Trump a aussi confirmé dimanche des propos du sénateur républicain Lindsey Graham assurant que “d’importants droits de douane” allaient être appliqués sur les produits colombiens, actuellement surtaxés à 10%.Jusqu’en septembre, Bogota était considéré comme un des 20 partenaires antidrogue des Etats-Unis, ce qui lui permettait de prétendre à d’importants versements financiers.Mais la Maison Blanche a révoqué ce statut, invoquant une production de cocaïne “record” et des “tentatives ratées” de négociations avec les “groupes narco-terroristes”.La Colombie est le premier producteur mondial de cocaïne, avec un record de 2.600 tonnes en 2023, soit 53% de plus que l’année précédente, selon l’ONU. Des chiffres contestés par Gustavo Petro, qui dénonce des problèmes méthodologiques. Depuis son arrivée au pouvoir en 2022, il a impulsé un changement de paradigme dans la guerre contre la drogue et mise sur la lutte contre les problèmes sociaux qui alimentent les trafics.Les relations entre Bogota et Washington, historiquement alliés, ont atteint leur niveau le plus bas avec l’arrivée au pouvoir de Donald Trump et de Gustavo Petro.Ce dernier accuse Washington de violer la souveraineté des eaux nationales avec son offensive contre des bateaux soupçonnés de trafic de drogue. Il affirme aussi qu’il a tué un pêcheur lors d’une de ces attaques.Deux survivants d’une frappe américaine contre un sous-marin en mer des Caraïbes ont été renvoyés dans leur pays d’origine, la Colombie et l’Equateur. “Je m’en fiche (…) tant qu’ils n’introduisent pas de poison dans notre pays”, a déclaré dimanche le vice-président des Etats-Unis, JD Vance.La Colombie, plongée dans une guerre civile depuis plus d’un demi-siècle entre guérillas, narcotrafiquants et forces gouvernementales, connaît sa pire crise sécuritaire de la dernière décennie.

Colombie: Washington a frappé un bateau d’une guérilla, Trump suspend des aides

Les Etats-Unis s’apprêtent à suspendre les aides financières à Bogota, après avoir annoncé dimanche une nouvelle frappe contre un navire dans les Caraïbes, le président américain Donald Trump accusant son homologue colombien Gustavo Petro d’être “un baron de la drogue”.Estimant que le locataire de la Maison Blanche était “trompé” par ses “conseillers”, M. Petro a estimé lundi sur son compte X que la politique antidrogue américaine avait “causé un million de morts en Amérique latine” et n’était qu'”un prétexte pour contrôler cette région”, notamment afin d'”obtenir le pétrole bon marché du Venezuela”.Cette politique “connue sous le nom de guerre contre la drogue, est une stratégie qui a échoué”, selon le premier président colombien de gauche. “C’est pourquoi des missiles tombent dans les Caraïbes, comme à Gaza, sur des bateaux transportant des personnes qui, qu’elles soient impliquées ou non dans le trafic de drogue, ont le droit de vivre”, a poursuivi M. Petro.D’après le chef du Pentagone, Pete Hegseth, la frappe a visé vendredi un bateau affilié à la guérilla colombienne de l’Armée de libération nationale (ELN) accusé de transporter de la drogue, et fait trois morts.Il s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une expansion de l’opération militaire de Washington dans la mer des Caraïbes, où sont déployés des navires de guerre américains, au large du Venezuela, depuis le mois d’août.Cette nouvelle offensive porte à au moins sept le nombre de bateaux ciblés par les forces américaines, et à au moins 30 le nombre de morts.Les experts s’interrogent sur la légalité de ces frappes contre des suspects ni interceptés ni interrogés.Gustavo Petro “ne fait rien pour arrêter” la production de drogue, a écrit dimanche le président américain Donald Trump sur son réseau Truth Social, accusant son homologue colombien d’être un “baron de la drogue qui encourage fortement la production massive de stupéfiants” dans son pays. Avant de s’en prendre au président colombien, Donald Trump avait accusé le président vénézuelien Nicolas Maduro, d’être à la tête d’une vaste organisation de trafic de drogue vers les Etats-Unis.M. Trump a annoncé suspendre le versement des aides financières accordées à Bogota, sans préciser lesquelles.La Colombie est le pays d’Amérique du Sud recevant le plus d’aide financière des Etats-Unis, selon les données américaines, avec plus de 740 millions de dollars versés en 2023, dernière année dont les données sont disponibles.La moitié des versements sont dédiés à la lutte contre la drogue. Le reste soutient notamment des programmes humanitaires et alimentaires.- Relation au plus bas -A bord d’Air Force One, Donald Trump a aussi confirmé dimanche des propos du sénateur républicain Lindsey Graham assurant que “d’importants droits de douane” allaient être appliqués sur les produits colombiens, actuellement surtaxés à 10%.Jusqu’en septembre, Bogota était considéré comme un des 20 partenaires antidrogue des Etats-Unis, ce qui lui permettait de prétendre à d’importants versements financiers.Mais la Maison Blanche a révoqué ce statut, invoquant une production de cocaïne “record” et des “tentatives ratées” de négociations avec les “groupes narco-terroristes”.La Colombie est le premier producteur mondial de cocaïne, avec un record de 2.600 tonnes en 2023, soit 53% de plus que l’année précédente, selon l’ONU. Des chiffres contestés par Gustavo Petro, qui dénonce des problèmes méthodologiques. Depuis son arrivée au pouvoir en 2022, il a impulsé un changement de paradigme dans la guerre contre la drogue et mise sur la lutte contre les problèmes sociaux qui alimentent les trafics.Les relations entre Bogota et Washington, historiquement alliés, ont atteint leur niveau le plus bas avec l’arrivée au pouvoir de Donald Trump et de Gustavo Petro.Ce dernier accuse Washington de violer la souveraineté des eaux nationales avec son offensive contre des bateaux soupçonnés de trafic de drogue. Il affirme aussi qu’il a tué un pêcheur lors d’une de ces attaques.Deux survivants d’une frappe américaine contre un sous-marin en mer des Caraïbes ont été renvoyés dans leur pays d’origine, la Colombie et l’Equateur. “Je m’en fiche (…) tant qu’ils n’introduisent pas de poison dans notre pays”, a déclaré dimanche le vice-président des Etats-Unis, JD Vance.La Colombie, plongée dans une guerre civile depuis plus d’un demi-siècle entre guérillas, narcotrafiquants et forces gouvernementales, connaît sa pire crise sécuritaire de la dernière décennie.

US envoys in Israel to shore up Gaza plan

The top US envoys to the Middle East conflict arrived in Israel on Monday to inspect progress on the Gaza plan after weekend violence threatened to wreck the hard-won ceasefire.Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing in to Gaza for aid shipments, a security official and a humanitarian source said, after it was closed briefly on Sunday following the killing of two Israeli soldiers.In response, Israel carried out dozens of strikes targeting Hamas across Gaza, accusing the militant group of carrying out “a blatant violation” of the truce.But both sides insisted that they remained committed to the ceasefire and US President Donald Trump, who helped broker the deal, told reporters in Washington that as far as he was concerned, it was still in effect.- Deadly strikes -“We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump told reporters. “It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly.”Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Israel on Monday for further talks on the plan, a US embassy spokesperson confirmed to AFP.Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said Israeli strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory on Sunday alone.Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll to AFP, while Israel’s military said it was looking into the reports of casualties.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.The army said that, after carrying out air strikes in response to a deadly attack on its soldiers, it had “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” late Sunday but vowed to “respond firmly to any violation of it”.Hamas denied the accusations, and one official from the militant group accused Israel of fabricating “pretexts” to resume the war.- ‘Blood has returned’ -The ceasefire, which began on October 10, halted more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas.The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza’s future. But it has quickly faced challenges to its implementation. Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.Abdullah Abu Hasanin, 29, from Al‑Bureij camp in central Gaza where Israel launched strikes, said: “The situation is as if the war has returned anew.”We had hoped the agreement would hold, but the occupation respects nothing — not an agreement, not anything.”He said he had rushed to the site of the bombing to help, adding: “The scene is indescribable. Blood has returned again.”- ‘Security illusion’ -AFP images from Bureij showed Palestinians running for cover from the strikes, as well as the dead and wounded arriving at Deir al-Balah hospital, accompanied by grieving relatives.On Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance called on Gulf Arab countries to establish a “security infrastructure” to ensure that Hamas disarmed — a key part of the peace deal.Under Trump’s 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called Yellow Line. Israeli troops have fired on Gazans “approaching” these positions several times since the ceasefire was declared, often with deadly results.  On Monday, troops equipped with earth movers were lifting into place a line of yellow concrete blocks to mark this new frontier within Gaza, according to videos shared by the Israeli defence ministry.The withdrawal to the Yellow Line leaves Israeli forces in control of around half of Gaza, including the territory’s borders but not its main cities.- Bodies returned -Hamas has released 20 surviving hostages and is in the process of returning the remaining bodies of those who have died.Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total number handed over to 150, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing — the main gateway into Gaza from Egypt — to the recovery of all of the deceased.Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies from under Gaza’s rubble.The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,159 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.burs-dc/ser

Cargo plane skids off Hong Kong runway, kills 2

A cargo plane veered off a runway Monday during landing in Hong Kong, hit a security patrol car and then skidded into the sea, leaving two men in the vehicle dead, authorities said.Officials said an investigation would aim to determine what caused the Boeing aircraft to leave the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s busiest for cargo last year, according to an industry ranking.The plane’s damaged fuselage was left partly submerged in the seawater that borders the airport, with its emergency evacuation slides extended, following one of the most serious incidents since the airport began operations in 1998.Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, said the cargo plane from Dubai “went off from the north runway upon landing and crashed through the fence and into the sea” at around 4 am (2000 GMT Sunday).Yiu said the patrol car was not on the runway at the time of the accident, and that “it was the aircraft that veered off the runway to hit the patrol car, which was outside the fence” and pushed it into the water.A 30-year-old man aboard the ground vehicle was confirmed dead at the scene while another, aged 41, died after being rushed to hospital.Both men were retrieved from the sunken car by divers around five metres (16 feet) from the shore.Emirates airlines said the plane’s crew were confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo on board.Emirates added the involved plane was on a temporary short-term, or “wet”, lease from the Istanbul-headquartered Act Airlines, which operated the aircraft.- Abrupt turn -Hong Kong’s airport handled 4.9 million tonnes of cargo in 2024 and was ranked the world’s busiest cargo airport by Airports Council International (ACI) World in April.Monday’s incident happened at the airport’s northernmost and newest runway, part of a HK$142 billion ($18 billion) expansion project that was completed last year.The cargo plane’s visibly cracked fuselage was seen floating on the water with its green tail section torn off, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.Police patrol boats moved around the wreckage as authorities used cranes and tow trucks to search for the aircraft’s “black box”, which contains recording devices that may shed light on how the incident occurred.Yiu said that “weather and runway conditions were safe and meet all conditions for runway operation” at the time of the incident.Officials provided a diagram that showed the plane abruptly turning left halfway down the length of the runway.The aircraft did not send an emergency signal and gave no reply when radioed by the airport, officials added.The airport’s north runway was temporarily closed on Monday, while the other two runways remained operational.The incident was not expected to impact airport operations, Yiu said.A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau expressed deep concern over the incident, adding that the Air Accident Investigation Authority will “actively investigate the cause of the accident”.Police said they would not rule out launching a criminal investigation.

China posts lacklustre Q3 economic data as key Beijing conclave starts

China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in a year last quarter, official data showed Monday, as high-ranking leaders kicked off a closely watched meeting in Beijing focused on long-term policy planning.The data was released just hours before state media announced the start of the four-day conclave, where top brass from the ruling Communist Party are expected to discuss strategies to address sluggish household spending and persisting woes in the vast property sector.It also comes ahead of in-person discussions later this month between top Chinese and US trade officials — as well as a potential meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.Trump earlier this month threatened blistering 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods from November 1, in response to Beijing’s sweeping export controls in the strategic rare earths sector.Gross domestic product in the July-September quarter expanded 4.8 percent year-on-year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, down from 5.2 percent in the previous three months.The figure was on par with an AFP forecast based on a survey of analysts.It also represented the slowest growth since the same quarter last year, when GDP expanded 4.6 percent.As trade pressure builds, experts say China must adjust to a growth model driven more by domestic household spending than exports and manufacturing.Such a transition is likely to be on the table at this week’s “fourth plenum” political gathering in Beijing.Chinese state media and officials have been taciturn about specific policy proposals included in the country’s 15th five-year plan — the main subject of this week’s meeting.But Xinhua said early Monday that the new plan, which covers the period from next year to 2030, will involve efforts to “strengthen the foundation of people’s livelihoods”, including by “investing in people”.The report ahead of the plenum also made several references to “new quality productive forces” — a term Beijing uses to describe key technologies it hopes to achieve self-sufficiency in to ensure long-term growth.- Consumer slump -Domestic spending has lagged in recent years, having failed to fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.Alin, a 40-year-old administrative assistant at an insurance company, told AFP in Beijing on Monday that she felt “current consumer subsidies are not quite enough” to get the economy humming again.”It’s more of a global issue,” she added, noting concerns including job security, education-related expenses and real estate prices.New residential property prices fell year-on-year in September in 61 out of 70 cities surveyed, NBS data showed Monday, a sign of persisting homebuyer wariness.Fixed-asset investment in the first three quarters saw a slight decline of 0.5 percent year-on-year, largely because of a sharp contraction in real estate investment.That decline is “rare and alarming”, Zhiwei Zhang of Pinpoint Asset Management wrote. Despite noting recent stimulus measures “should help to mitigate the downward pressure on investment” in the fourth quarter, he said “the risk to GDP growth in Q4 is likely on the downside”.In a further sign of weakness, the NBS said retail sales growth slid to three percent year-on-year in September, in line with estimates in a Bloomberg survey, but down from August and the slowest rate since November.”This slowdown reflects the waning impact of the consumer goods trade-in scheme, which had boosted sales of certain products earlier in the year,” wrote Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics.”China’s growth is becoming increasingly dependent on exports, which are offsetting a slowdown in domestic demand,” he wrote.”This pattern of development is not sustainable,” he added.In one bright spot, industrial production rose 6.5 percent last month, the data showed, outperforming the five percent forecast in a Bloomberg survey.Beijing and Washington agreed over the weekend to conduct a fresh round of trade talks this week.Fears of a full-on trade war have been eased after Trump told Fox News that 100 percent levies on all Chinese goods were “not sustainable”.

‘People can breathe’: hope for peace on Afghan-Pakistan border

After a week of violence, residents on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hoping a new ceasefire deal will end the clashes and revive crucial cross-border trade.While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops. “People can breathe and feel relieved. (But) before that, gunfire damaged a few houses in our village,” said Sadiq Shah, 56, a shopkeeper from Baizai on the Pakistani side.Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke out after explosions in Kabul on October 9.The Taliban government blamed the blasts on its neighbour and launched a retaliatory border offensive, prompting Islamabad to vow a strong response.After further clashes left soldiers and civilians dead, the two sides declared an initial 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday.New Pakistani strikes hit Afghanistan on Friday, with Islamabad saying it was targeting armed groups that the Taliban harbours and allows to launch attacks on Pakistani territory — a claim that Kabul denies.The two sides approved a second ceasefire on Sunday, to the relief of many along the border.”It’s incredible: both sides are Muslim, (ethnic) Pashtuns, so why fight?” said Shah.”Previously, trade with Afghanistan went through here, and now we’re shooting at each other. What country does that?”- ‘Losing money’ -The border only opened temporarily this week to admit Afghan migrants expelled by Pakistan under a campaign that it launched back in 2023.In the Pakistani town of Torkham, a normally busy crossing point into the Afghan province of Nangarhar, stranded drivers bought tea from a vendor as they waited in colourful trucks.More than 1,500 trucks, trailers and containers carrying cement, medicines, rice and other basic goods are waiting in Torkham, according to a senior Pakistani customs official in nearby Peshawar.Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesman for the Taliban’s economy ministry, said fruit and vegetables were rotting as they awaited export to Pakistan.”Businessmen are losing money,” he said, without giving an estimate of the damages.Habib warned that if this situation persisted, “it could increase prices and unemployment, and destabilise markets”.”Trade relations should be separate from political issues,” he told AFP.After the peace talks in Doha, Qatar’s foreign ministry said the ceasefire deal provides for “the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace”, but their details have not been disclosed.Niaz Mohammed Akhund, a 39-year-old car salesman in Spin Boldak, an Afghan town where fighting flared last week, said “people here are very happy with the ceasefire”.”(They) have no farmland or other source of income — everyone depends on cross-border trade, on both sides,” he said. Nematullah, a 24-year-old vendor, also told AFP he hoped “this problem won’t resurface”.Across the road on the Pakistani side, market worker Imran Khan called on the two countries to establish a “mechanism to end these conflicts and to start treating each other like brothers”.

UE: feu vert des Etats membres sur l’interdiction d’importer du gaz russe d’ici fin 2027

L’interdiction d’importer du gaz naturel russe dans l’Union européenne d’ici fin 2027 a été approuvée lundi par la majorité des Etats membres, lors d’une réunion des ministres européens de l’Energie à Luxembourg.En cessant ses achats de gaz naturel russe, l’UE veut assécher une source de financement majeure de la guerre menée par Moscou en Ukraine.Cette mesure, qui doit maintenant être négociée avec le Parlement européen, avait été proposée au printemps par la Commission européenne. Le Danemark, qui exerce la présidence tournante de l’UE jusqu’à la fin de l’année, espère parvenir à une adoption définitive avant le Nouvel An.La Slovaquie et la Hongrie, pays enclavés et très dépendants des hydrocarbures russes, étaient opposés à cette interdiction mais ont été mis en minorité.L’UE essaye de se sevrer des hydrocarbures russes depuis l’invasion de l’Ukraine par la Russie début 2022.Mais si elle a cessé presque totalement ses importations de pétrole russe, elle conserve une forte dépendance envers Moscou pour son approvisionnement en gaz naturel: la Russie représentait encore 19% des importations totales de gaz de l’Union européenne en 2024, contre 45% en 2021.Afin d’accélérer le mouvement, la Commission européenne a donc proposé au printemps aux Etats membres un arrêt total des importations de gaz russe fin 2027.En septembre, elle a en outre proposé d’avancer cette date-butoir à fin 2026, c’est à dire dans un peu plus d’un an, en ce qui concerne les importations de gaz naturel liquéfié (GNL).Cette mesure supplémentaire, proposée dans le cadre d’un 19e “paquet” de nouvelles sanctions contre la Russie, n’était cependant pas au menu de la réunion ministérielle de lundi.De son côté, le Parlement européen voudrait aller encore plus loin: ses commissions de l’Industrie et du Commerce ont approuvé jeudi un texte visant à interdire toutes les importations de gaz russe, que ce soit par gazoduc ou sous forme de GNL, et ce dès le 1er janvier 2026, hormis quelques exceptions limitées.

Five things to know about Gaza’s Rafah border crossing

The reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, part of US President Donald Trump’s plan for the Palestinian territory, remains on hold despite calls from the UN and aid groups.Here are five things to know about this crucial crossing:- Crucial access point -The Rafah crossing into Egypt is a crucial entry point for humanitarian workers and for lorries transporting aid, food and fuel, which is essential for daily life in a territory deprived of electricity.For a long time, the crossing was the main exit point for Palestinians from Gaza who were authorised to leave this narrow strip of land, under Israeli blockade since 2007.From 2005 to 2007, it was the first Palestinian border terminal controlled by the Palestinian Authority.It then became one of the symbols of Hamas’s control over the Gaza Strip. – Under Israeli control – On May 7, 2024, the Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side, claiming that the crossing was being “used for terrorist purposes”, amid suspicions of arms trafficking. Access points have since been mostly closed, including those used by the United Nations.Rafah briefly reopened during a brief ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect on January 19, initially allowing the passage of people authorised to leave Gaza, and later of trucks.- Reopening soon? -After the ceasefire spearheaded by Trump took effect, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar mentioned plans for a reopening, but the Israeli prime minister’s office ultimately announced that the crossing would remain closed “until further notice”.The crossing must be open for the “movement of people only”, according to COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories.Trump’s plan, which underpins the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, stipulates that the territory would once again become accessible to international humanitarian aid and that the Rafah crossing would open. But since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Israeli authorities have stalled on the matter, citing Hamas’s failure to return the bodies of all hostages, then the need for coordination with Egypt, before conducting air strikes on Sunday over alleged Hamas violations. – Kerem Shalom – International aid generally arrives in Egypt via the ports of Port Said or El-Arish, the city closest to the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks are waiting to cross the border. According to drivers’ accounts, once through the Rafah checkpoint, the trucks are directed to the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom, a few kilometres (miles) away.There, the drivers disembark their vehicles for inspection.After strict checks, the goods authorised for entry are unloaded and then reloaded onto other vehicles authorised to enter Gaza.- Other crossings – The agreement brokered by Trump provides for the entry of 600 trucks per day. For now, Israel is allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid in smaller quantities, three quarters of it through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and the rest through the Kissufim crossing, according to the UN. The Erez, or Beit Hanoun, crossing, between Gaza and southern Israel, was destroyed by Hamas gunmen during their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.Briefly reopened in early 2025, it is currently closed, with no reopening date set. Other access points have operated in the past, but Israeli authorities have not communicated on whether they will reopen.