Israel announced the temporary closure of its sole pedestrian crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after the border terminal was damaged during clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians.
Hundreds of Palestinians took part in a violent riot at the Erez Crossing on Tuesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces, during which infrastructure on the Palestinian side of the crossing was damaged by rioters.
“As a result, the crossing has been closed until the repairing of the damage caused as a result of the riot is completed,” the army said in a statement.
It did not indicate when the repairs would be completed.
The army added that the closure does not include humanitarian cases, which it said would be approved on a case-by-case basis.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Tuesday reiterated his denial that a ceasefire agreement had been reached with Israel, saying that hostilities will not end until the blockade of the coastal enclave has been lifted.
“Solidifying the ceasefire means not returning to the situation of a siege at all. So far, there is no agreement or any formula for a ceasefire,” he said.
Sinwar also claimed that the uptick in violence between Hamas and Israel since March 30 had resulted in a victory of sorts for the terrorist group, as it had forced Israel to reconsider its position vis-a-vis the Strip.
“History will write that our people in Gaza, despite the hunger and the siege and with basic tools like balloons, kites and the March of Return, were able to push the enemy to review its calculus.”
“In one minute, we can turn the table on the occupation’s heads,” he said. Last week the terrorist leader warned that if hostilities resumed, Hamas could launch hundreds of rockets deep into the Jewish state.
Several Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire Tuesday as they protested near the territory’s main personnel crossing with Israel, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said.
The Israeli military said Palestinians hurled rocks at the crossing in the Strip’s north and damaged infrastructure, prompting troops to respond with tear gas and live fire.
Such protests are rare at Erez, the only terminal for travel into Israel or the West Bank from Gaza.
The violent protest broke several days of calm, which came after understandings were reportedly reached between Israel and Hamas.
Gaza had seen a surge of violence since the start of the “March of Return” protests along the border in March. The clashes, which Gaza’s Hamas rulers have orchestrated, have included rock and Molotov cocktail attacks on troops, as well as attempts to breach the border fence and attack Israeli soldiers.
This past Friday some 5,000 Palestinians protested along the border, with some 180 wounded, according to Palestinian reports.
Israel and Hamas have engaged in a number of brief exchanges of fire in recent months that have seen terror groups in Gaza launch hundreds of rockets and mortars toward Israeli territory, including one last month that was the largest flare-up in violence since the 2014 war.
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