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The Israeli army announced Monday (9) the closing of the only crossing point for goods between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in response to incendiary balloons and pipes launched by Palestinian protesters. , Gazans are protesting along the fence that separates them from Israel to denounce the blockade that has lasted for more than a decade. They also claim the right of return to the lands from which they were expelled or had to leave during the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
"In response to the terrorist attacks in progress organized by Hamas, which exploits and endangers the inhabitants of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman have decided to close the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday, "said the army in a statement.
In confirming the immediate closure of the terminal, Netanyahu informed Parliament that Israel was preparing "to take further steps to fight Hamas," the Islamist movement that leads the enclave, without giving more details
The Israeli authorities are trying to stop the wave of fire kites equipped with objects soaked in gasoline. "About 750 fires burned 26,000 dunums (2,600 hectares) in a hundred days," he added, "there are no more than 500 fires burned in 26,000 dunums (2,600 hectares) in the Gaza strip."
He estimates that the total damage should cost "a few million shekels (Israeli currency)", without giving any precise value.
The closure of the crossing point worsens the already precarious humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, an enclave under severe Israeli blockade and where more than 80 percent of the population receives aid, according to the World Bank .
The Kerem Shalom crossing will remain open only to humanitarian needs, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement that "further measures to strengthen the blockade and prevent the entry of materials and goods in the Gaza Strip "
" Hamas calls on the international community to intervene immediately to prevent this crime, "added Barhoum
. a fishing zone, extended to nine nautical miles (17 km) from the Gaza coast since May, will be reduced again to six miles, announced the army.
The Oslo accords signed by the Israelis and Palestinians in 1993 fishing area up to 20 nautical miles from the coast.
Israel and Hamas have clashed in three wars since 2008 and have maintained a tense ceasefire since 2014.
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