The Israeli military said it plans to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza so that the flow of aid into the Strip can be increased.

The Israeli military said on Friday (8 November) it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month.

The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said.

Reuters was able to confirm the location by the road layout, buildings and terrain seen in the video which matched satellite imagery of the area. The date when the video was filmed could not be independently verified.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The letter, which was posted to the internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.

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