Israel blocks entry of mobile homes, heavy equipment into Gaza

Gaza Strip: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to allow the entry of mobile homes (caravans) and heavy earthmoving equipment into the Gaza Strip despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corp Kan.

Videos and images circulating on social media show lorries carrying caravans, bulldozers, and road rollers for rubble removal and reconstruction stuck at the Rafah border crossing for nearly two weeks, awaiting Israeli approval.

Under the agreement, Israel was to allow 60,000 temporary homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza during the first phase, set to conclude on March 1. The deal also requires Israel to permit an agreed-upon amount of equipment for rubble removal.

Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned Israel’s refusal to allow mobile homes and heavy equipment, calling it a “clear evasion” of its ceasefire commitments.

“This is an explicit declaration of its failure to uphold the agreement,” the office said on Telegram, urging guarantor mediators to intervene.

It added that Palestinian groups would remain committed “as long as the occupation” honors the deal.

On January 19, a ceasefire agreement began in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days.

Phase two of the ceasefire negotiations aims to permanently end the war and secure the release of remaining hostages. However, Netanyahu reportedly wants Israeli negotiators to argue—supported by Qatari, Egyptian, and U.S. mediators—that extending phase one also serves Hamas’s interests, Times of Israel reported.

Since October 2023, Israel’s attacks have killed 48,239 people, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.