KARNI CROSSING, Gaza Strip - Israel on Tuesday reopened the only trade crossing into the Gaza Strip amid UN warnings of a looming humanitarian crisis over food shortages.
An official in the prime minister's office said Karni would be operational on a temporary basis to allow dozens of trucks carrying foodstuffs into Gaza but that the terminal would be shut immediately pending threat of attack.
"Karni is now open. There is no security problem here," said Hassan El Wali, a security official on the Palestinian side of the central Gaza Strip crossing that has been closed for most of the year.
"The Israelis told us that the crossing point would be open for several days but we are not really sure about that," Wali added, accusing the Israelis of dreaming up security problems as a tool against the Palestinians.
On Monday the crossing was reopened for less than an hour to goods entering Gaza before Israel ordered Karni to close because of an "attack alert".
The Gaza chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, who warned Sunday that residents were running dangerously short of basic foodstuffs, voiced concern at the swift reshutting of the border.
"The crossing point must be open for a sustainable amount of time to recover the stocks. It's the first time in living memory that bread has been rationed," John Ging said.
Israeli public radio estimated that around 90 trucks of flour, oil and rice would be allowed to cross Karni if the checkpoint stayed open the entire day.
Wali said that on days that the checkpoint has been open since January, around 500 trucks have entered Gaza from Israel, with less than 50 heading the other way.
Israel had offered to channel aid through another border crossing in the south of the territory known as Kerem Shalom, but the idea was resisted by the Palestinians who insisted Karni - their main export terminal - be reopened.
"Actually it's the Palestinians who are artificially creating a humanitarian crisis by refusing to let goods pass through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint where modern equipment allows quicker transit," said a senior Israeli official.
The source denied that any US pressure had been brought to bear for the reopening of Karni. "No one can ask us to endanger the lives of truck drivers or border guards at Karni," he said.
On Sunday, the US ambassador to Tel Aviv hosted talks at which the Palestinians pressed for Karni to reopen.
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