Israel Reopens Zikim Crossing for Critical Gaza Aid
London-UK, November 13, 2025
Lifeline Extended: Israel Reopens Zikim Crossing for Critical Northern Gaza Aid Trucks
A vital lifeline has been extended to the hard-hit northern Gaza Strip after Israel reopens the Zikim crossing for critical humanitarian aid trucks, the Israeli military body COGAT says.
The decision, announced by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), marks the first opening of this northern access point in two months and comes amid severe warnings of famine conditions in the region.
The Zikim crossing will significantly ease the logistical bottlenecks that have plagued the aid effort, allowing the United Nations and other international organizations to deliver critical food and supplies directly to the areas most desperately in need.
While hailed as a positive step by the international community, the move underscores the ongoing and devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Headline Points: The Significance of the Zikim Reopening
Location and Importance:
The Zikim crossing is located in the northern Gaza Strip, near the town of Beit Lahia. Its reopening provides the most direct and crucial route for aid trucks to reach Gaza City and the northern areas, bypassing the heavily damaged internal roads from the south.
Two-Month Closure:
The crossing had been closed since September 12, following an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation to secure the area, effectively halting the flow of critical aid into the region for two months.
Famine Warnings:
The reopening is a response to urgent calls from UN bodies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), which had confirmed famine conditions in northern Gaza last August, a status heavily disputed by COGAT but acknowledged by the humanitarian community.
COGAT’s Directive:
COGAT, the Defense Ministry unit overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, confirmed the reopening, stating the move was implemented “in accordance with a directive of the political echelon” and would be permanent, operating like the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.
Aid Process:
All aid trucks passing through Zikim will undergo thorough security inspections by the Land Crossings Authority before being transferred to the UN and international organizations for distribution inside Gaza.
Third Operational Crossing:
Zikim becomes the third operational land crossing for humanitarian aid into Gaza, alongside Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem (South) and the Kissufim crossing (Central).
The Logistical and Humanitarian Imperative
The reopening of the Zikim crossing addresses a fundamental logistical challenge that has hampered aid efforts since the closure two months ago. Prior to this, the vast majority of aid entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing near the Egyptian border in the south.
Distributing this aid from the south to the devastated northern regions has proven to be a dangerous, slow, and often impossible task.
The journey north involves navigating heavily damaged roads, facing the risk of unexploded ordnance, and traversing areas where civil order has collapsed, leading to frequent instances of looting and aid diversion.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) previously noted that the opening of direct crossings to the north is vital to ensure that sufficient aid reaches people as soon as possible.
The establishment of Zikim as a permanent, direct access point alleviates this complex transit problem, making the delivery of food, medical supplies, and shelter materials much quicker and more efficient.
The sheer scale of need in northern Gaza cannot be overstated. With much of the infrastructure destroyed and a large portion of the population having returned to the north despite ongoing conflict, humanitarian agencies had repeatedly warned that the existing level of access was “wildly insufficient.”
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) report confirming famine conditions underscored the reality that people in the north were dying of hunger and preventable diseases at an accelerated rate.
COGAT and the Security Protocols
The announcement was made by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body responsible for facilitating all civilian activities, including humanitarian aid, in Gaza. In its statement, COGAT says the decision was approved by the political leadership, reflecting the significant international pressure that has mounted on Israel to increase aid access.
A key condition of the reopening is the implementation of thorough security inspections for all incoming aid trucks. This process, managed by the Defense Ministry’s Land Crossings Authority, is intended to prevent the smuggling of weapons or materials that could be used for military purposes. However, these inspections have historically been a major source of delays and restrictions, with humanitarian organizations frequently criticizing the lengthy and strict procedures that prevent essential items from entering the enclave.
Despite the operational challenges, the UN and its partners, including the World Food Programme, have already begun final checks, including the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) on the roads leading up to Zikim inside Gaza, in preparation for the massive resumption of cargo collection. This lifeline extended through the Zikim crossing is a crucial step toward meeting the basic survival needs of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the north.
The focus now shifts to ensuring the flow of aid is consistent and sustained, moving from a symbolic opening to a fully functional and permanent conduit for critical aid into northern Gaza.
