First commercial trucks enter Gaza since war, easing humanitarian crisis

The first commercial trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the Israel-Hamas war erupted more than two months ago, joining UN-led deliveries, the United States said Monday.

It is “a critical step towards improving the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza that we see not just humanitarian aid delivered, but also commercial goods that can be sold in stores and markets,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Miller said that the first private trucks entered Saturday and more came through on Monday.

He did not offer details on the quantities or operators but said the trucks were largely bringing food — stocks of which have depleted severely since Israel sealed off the territory in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas.

The trucks came through the Rafah crossing between Gaza, which is controlled by the militant group, and Egypt.

Israel, during a visit late last week by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, also announced the opening of the Keret Shalom border crossing into Gaza.

Miller said that both the border crossing and the arrival of commercial trucks were the “result of intensive diplomacy” by US officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“While this weekend’s breakthroughs are important, they are also not by themselves sufficient,” Miller said.

“We will continue to work closely with the governments of Israel, Egypt and partner countries in the region to further increase the humanitarian assistance flowing into Gaza to address the needs of the Palestinian people,” he said.

The United States has been Israel’s critical supporter, offering both military supplies and diplomatic backing, but has been increasingly seeking to show that it is working behind the scenes to address concerns over the war’s heavy toll on Palestinians.

US news outlet Axios reported that CIA director Bill Burns held talks in Warsaw with his counterpart from Israel’s Mossad and the prime minister of Qatar, which has ties with Hamas.

Qatar was the key intermediary for a deal last month that led to an exchange of hostages and prisoners and a humanitarian pause in fighting.

Miller, without confirming the meeting, said that the United States supported a new deal that would include the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza.

“We would absolutely support reaching a deal to achieve those positive outcomes again,” Miller said.