Israel to close its only crossing with the Gaza Strip to merchants and workers on Sunday after militants from the Palestinian enclave fired three rockets at their territory.
The decision to close the Erez crossing will affect thousands of Palestinians in the impoverished enclave, subjected to an Israeli blockade for more than 15 years. Apart from the Rafah crossing between the south of this micro-territory of some 2.3 million inhabitants and Egypt, Israel controls all the entrances and exits of the enclave, both goods and people.
“Following the rockets launched into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip last night, it was decided that the transit of Gazan merchants and workers through the Erez crossing into Israel will not be allowed this Sunday,” COGAT said in a statement. Defense Ministry unit responsible for Palestinian civil affairs.
On Friday night and early Saturday, three new rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.hours after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters left more than 50 injured on the Esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem, the scene of strong tensions.
Since Monday, several rockets have been fired from the Hamas Islamist-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel, prompting Israeli air raids on the enclave. The shots caused no casualties and most of the projectiles were intercepted by the Israeli anti-missile shield..
These rocket attacks are the most serious since the deadly 11-day war between Hamas and the Israeli army in May 2021, after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians in East Jerusalem left hundreds of Palestinians injured.
Clashes in Jerusalem
The new escalation came after four attacks in Israel between March 22 and April 7, in which a total of 14 people were killed.
Two of the attacks were carried out in the Tel Aviv metropolis by Palestinians from the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The Israeli army carried out several operations in the West Bank following these attacks, some of them deadly.. In this context and in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, for a week there have been clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the Esplanade of the Mosques in East Jerusalem, the Palestinian part occupied by Israel.
The clashes have left more than 250 Palestinians injured and the Israeli authorities, who control access to the Esplanade, have closed the crossings that allow Palestinians from the West Bank to travel to Jerusalem. On Friday, before the rocket attacks, Hamas staged a large rally in the enclave in solidarity with Palestinians in East Jerusalem, where clashes on the Mosque Grounds left some 50 wounded.
An impoverished enclave
The presence on the Esplanade of Jews during Ramadan, who are allowed to visit the site at certain times, and the deployment of police forces were perceived by Palestinians and several countries in the region as a “provocative” gesture.
The Palestinian enclave suffers from a poverty rate of around 60% and endemic unemployment of around 50%. In late March, Israel announced that it was increasing the number of work permits granted to Palestinians in Gaza from 12,000 to 20,000. The latter work in Israel, especially in the construction and agriculture sectors, where they earn five times what they would earn in Gaza.
AFP
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