"Israel" Keeps Gaza Crossings Shut

Source: Alalam.ir, 25-06-2008

AL-QUDS--The ‘Israeli' occupying regime kept three border crossings with the Gaza Strip closed on Wednesday following retaliatory rocket attacks into the occupied territories, a military spokesman said.
Tuesday's attacks came hours after the regime's troops martyred a senior Islamic Jihad fighter and another man in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank which is not included in the truce agreement.

Hamas blamed the occupying regime for Tuesday's violence, saying it had "provoked" Palestinian armed factions with the killing of the two men in Nablus.
Spokesman Peter Lerner said: "We are keeping the Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings closed for the time being following the firing of rockets in flagrant violation of the truce deal."

He said however that while the goods terminals were closed, the Erez passenger crossing remained open.
Three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern ‘Israel' on Tuesday, slightly wounding two people.

Two of the rockets struck inside the hard-hit town of Sderot, causing some damage, and another slammed into a field outside town.
The Israeli attack was in violation of a truce agreement that went into effect on June 19.
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the retaliatory attacks.

Olmert on Tuesday held talks in Egypt with President Hosni Mubarak on the truce and a parallel track of indirect talks with Hamas aimed at securing a prisoner swap for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Egypt played a key role as mediator in brokering the ceasefire as ‘Israel' rejects direct contact with Hamas and the resistance group does not recognize the Zionist regime.

The truce called on the occupying regime to cease all military operations in Gaza and on Palestinian activists to halt their rocket and mortar attacks.
It also called for the easing of a year-long blockade of the Gaza Strip.

‘Israel' has started increasing the amount of goods allowed into Gaza, but Wednesday's closures halted all shipments to the impoverished territory where a majority of the 1.5 million population depend on foreign aid.
Egypt told the occupying regime that it will keep its Rafah crossing with Gaza closed until the fate of Shalit is resolved, a senior ‘Israeli' official said.