Region | Palestinian Territories

Israel reimposes closure of Gaza border crossing

Israel shut border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday citing continued rocket fire at its towns, despite warnings from world aid groups of looming shortages of food and fuel supplies in the coastal territory.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 12:10 November 18, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP

Gaza: Israel shut border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday citing continued rocket fire at its towns, despite warnings from world aid groups of looming shortages of food and fuel supplies in the coastal territory.

Israel had lifted a two-week blockade on Gaza on Monday, allowing in 33 truckloads of supplies, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he would not permit a humanitarian crisis to develop there.

But Israel reimposed the closure on Tuesday.

Several Israelis have been lightly wounded by dozens of rockets fired by gunmen after the Israeli raids.

"The crossings are shut because of ongoing rocket fire," Peter Lerner, a defence spokesman said, referring to several barrages of rockets fired from Gaza on Monday that slammed into Israeli towns, causing no injury.

International aid groups said the trucks sent in on Monday were not enough to alleviate shortages of items such as fuel that have led to daily periodic electricity blackouts for 1.5million Palestinians living in the territory.


British-based Oxfam International humanitarian agency said in a statement that "only the bare minimum of goods have entered Gaza in the past couple of days."

Oxfam's chief executive, Barbara Stocking, added that the group "fears a serious worsening once again of the humanitarian situation if urgent action is not taken."

In talks with Olmert in Occuppied Jerusalem on Monday, Abbas urged Israel to abide by a 5-month-old Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas Islamists who control Gaza, a deal that has neared collapse in the past two weeks of fighting.

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