Israel closes crossing to Gazans after rocket attacks

Israel said it will close its only crossing from the Gaza Strip for workers on Sunday after militants in the Palestinian enclave fired three rockets at the Jewish state.

“Following the rockets fired toward Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip last night, it was decided that crossings into Israel for Gazan merchants and workers through the Erez Crossing will not be permitted this upcoming Sunday,” COGAT, a unit of the defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, said in a statement on Saturday.

On Friday night, two rockets were fired from Gaza at southern Israel, with one hitting the Jewish state and the other falling short and striking near a residential building in northern Gaza, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

Early Saturday, a third rocket was fired at Israel, the army said, with no air raid sirens activated for any of the launches.

The rockets, which follow similar attacks on Wednesday and Thursday, come as Israeli police have been clashing with Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al Aqsa mosque compound in recent days.

Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes following the earlier rocket attacks, but in an apparent desire to prevent further violence, shifted its response this time to the painful economic measure of closing Erez, implying that further rockets would extend the penalty.

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“The re-opening of the crossing will be decided in accordance with a security situational assessment,” COGAT added in its statement.

• MENA