Karni reopens after two-week closure

Aimed at easing humanitarian needs; farmers complain of millions in damages.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
karni crossing 298 88 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
karni crossing 298 88 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
The Karni goods crossing in the northern Gaza Strip was reopened Thursday morning. The army said the decision to reopen the crossing was made in order to ease up the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Despite the ongoing threats, the IDF conducted searches on both sides of the crossing and decided that it would open. The crossing was closed on February 21 due to threats of a tunnel laden with explosives that was to have blown up on the Israeli side of the crossing. The Palestinian Authority has since rejected two options offered by Israel that included the Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossing as alternative access routs to Gaza. The army said that in the event of further threats, the situation would be reexamined and a decision made whether to shut it down again.