Kerem Shalom Crossing
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Kerem Shalom crossing מעבר כרם שלום معبر كرم أبو سالم |
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| Coordinates | 31°13′15″N 34°16′14″E / 31.22083°N 34.27056°ECoordinates: 31°13′15″N 34°16′14″E / 31.22083°N 34.27056°E |
| Carries | Goods, Supplies |
| Crosses | Israel–Gaza barrier |
| Locale |
 Israel Gaza Strip
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| Maintained by |
Israel Airports Authority
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| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 250 trucks/day (2012) |
 Kerem Shalom crossing
Location in the Gaza Strip
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Kerem Shalom border crossing (Hebrew: מעבר כרם שלום, Arabic: معبر كرم أبو سالم) is a border crossing on the Gaza Strip-Israel border managed by the Israel Airports Authority. The crossing is used by trucks carrying goods from Israel to the Gaza Strip.
Until 2007, European monitors from the European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah used the Kerem Shalom crossing to get to the Rafah Border Crossing. The EUBAM heads a Liaison Office at Kerem Shalom which receives real-time video and data feeds of the activities at the Rafah crossing. The Liaison Office meets regularly to review implementation of the Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing, to resolve any dispute pertaining to the agreement, and to perform other tasks specified therein. The Liaison Office is manned by liaison officers from EUBAM, the Palestinian Authority, and the Government of Israel.
Since 2010, NIS 75 million have been invested in upgrading and expanding the crossing, which is capable of handling 450 trucks a day.
The Palestinian side of the crossing is operated by two families who were granted a franchise by the Palestinian Authority and authorized by Hamas. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Ramallah coordinates activity with Israel. The two sides are 400 meters apart, separated by a drop-off zone for unloading goods.
In December 2012, Israel eased its restrictions on the import of building materials, allowing the transfer of 20 truckloads of aggregates and 34 truckloads of gravel from Egypt. The volume is expected to increase to 100 trucks a day.
On 25 June 2006, Corporal Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian Hamas militants near Kerem Shalom after the attackers infiltrated the border from the Gaza Strip into Israel via a tunnel. Two Israeli Defense Force soldiers were killed and three others wounded, in addition to Shalit. In response and with the mission of rescuing Shalit, IDF entered Gaza Strip as part of Operation Summer Rains on 28 June. Shalit was freed in a prisoner exchange on 18 October 2011.
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