Erez Crossing in the context of "Blockade of the Gaza Strip"

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT; Hebrew: מתאם פעולות הממשלה בשטחים) is a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense tasked with overseeing civilian policy in the West Bank, as well as facilitating logistical coordination between Israel and the Gaza Strip. It operates in collaboration with Israeli governmental and defense officials. COGAT operates under the authority of Israel's Minister of Defense and is led by a major general who is part of the general staff of the IDF. As of September 2025, Major General Ghassan Alian holds this position.

COGAT's objective is to advance and execute the policies of the Israeli government concerning civilian affairs, including the facilitation of humanitarian issues, the promotion of humanitarian projects, and the facilitation of infrastructure and financial initiatives. It collaborates with the international community, encompassing governmental and non-governmental organizations, to contribute to the development and enhancement of the living standards of Palestinians residing in the areas it prioritizes.

The Gaza–Israel barrier (sometimes called the Iron Wall) is a border barrier located on the Israeli side of the Gaza–Israel border. Before the Gaza war, the Erez Crossing, in the north of the Gaza Strip, was the only crossing point for people and goods coming from Israel into the Gaza Strip. A second crossing point, the Kerem Shalom border crossing, is used exclusively for goods coming from Egypt as Israel did not allow goods to go directly from Egypt into Gaza through the Egypt–Gaza border, except for the Salah Al Din Gate, which opened in 2018.

A fence along the border was first constructed by Israel in 1971 as a security barrier, and has been rebuilt and upgraded since. It was constructed by Israel to control the movement of people as well as goods between the Gaza Strip and Israel, which it could not achieve by normal border crossings.

Jabalia Camp (Arabic: مخيّم جباليا) is a Palestinian refugee camp in the North Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip, 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) north of Jabalia. It is the closest camp to the Erez Crossing between Gaza and Israel. Jabalia Camp is the largest refugee camp in Palestine, with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The camp only covers an area of 1.4 km (0.54 sq mi), making it one of the most densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

The camp was established in 1948 by the United Nations to house those displaced by the 1948 Palestinian expulsion. Originally composed of tents and other temporary structures, over time the population grew and the camp developed into a densely populated urban area with multi-story buildings.