Times of Israel: 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.
