Netanyahu announces Gaza crossing to be closed due to Gaza violence

In response to ongoing violence on the Gaza border, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel will close the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

“We will double our efforts against Hamas,” Netanyahu tells his Likud faction meeting in the Knesset, saying that the Kerem Shalom closure will be coupled with “other measures that I won’t go into.”

The crossing, near the Egyptian border, serves as the main entry point for commercial goods and humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave, which has been subject to a strict blockade by both Israel and Egypt for the past 11 years, meant to prevent terrorist groups from bringing weapons into the Strip.

The crossing has been closed a number of times in the past three months after sustaining damage from fires set by Palestinian protesters.

Yesterday it was reported that Hamas has begun returning its security forces to the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, the first time the terror organization has done so since the start of deadly clashes in late March.

Since March 30, weekly clashes have taken place on the Gaza border, with Israel accusing Hamas of using the demonstrations as cover to carry out attacks and attempt to breach the security fence. The “March of Return” protests have also seen Palestinians fly airborne incendiary devices toward Israeli territory, sparking hundreds of fires in southern Israel and causing millions of shekels in estimated damages.

— Raoul Wootliff