The aid group launched operational hubs in Rafah as well as in Deir al-Balah, a city in the center of the Gaza Strip, through which they provide shelter and hygiene supplies as well as cash and food parcels.
CRS has 83 staff members in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, including 44 in Gaza, according to a May 15 report shared with CNA. CRS staff members have left the evacuation area since Israel’s May 11 instruction to evacuate Rafah.
CRS continues to operate in Dier al-Balah while pausing operations in Rafah and northern Gaza. Limited access to supplies and fuel — as well as border closures — have constrained CRS’ humanitarian efforts, according to the report.
After Israel seized the Rafah crossing from Hamas on May 7, Egypt refused to move aid through the crossing unless it was under Palestinian control, according to the Times of Israel.
Israel, Egypt, and the U.S. have since agreed to send aid via the Kerem Shalom crossing, where the borders of Israel, Egypt, and the Gaza Strip meet.
Israel moved into Rafah at the beginning of the month to target Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before the military operation.
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