The Zikim border crossing, also known as Erez West, is located near the Mediterranean Sea at the northern corner of the Gaza Strip. It has long been completely closed, while aid has been diverted to border crossings further south, further from Gaza City. For now, however, Israel also controls a zone several kilometers into the Gaza Strip from Erez, according to the first stage of the ceasefire in the Gaza war.
"Thorough security inspections" are also carried out on all shipments before they are released, Cogat stressed . Aid organisations have complained that these inspections take a long time and also often result in goods being rejected.
For a long time, the majority of aid deliveries Israel allows into Gaza have gone through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the far south.
