Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

oPt

oPt: Israel re-closes borders with Gaza following new rocket fire

Gaza City_(dpa) _ Israel re-closed its border crossings with Gaza Tuesday after militants from the strip fired more rockets into its territory.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak cancelled the authorization he had given to international agencies which were planning to drive trucks with basic humanitarian aid into the strip later in the day.

"We are not afraid of an operation in Gaza and we are not running toward an operation in Gaza. Calm will be met with calm," Barak told reporters while touring in northern Israel Tuesday.

He spoke as an Egyptian-brokered, six-month truce between Israel and Gaza militant factions is due to expire on Thursday.

Barak, of the left-of-centre Labour Party, was rebuffing charges by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, of the centrist Kadima party, that he was not responding harshly and decisively enough against the rocket attacks from Gaza.

No humanitarian aid or fuel have entered the strip since Thursday.

Gaza City was experiencing renewed power cuts Tuesday, after the director of the enclave's only power plant ordered it to shut down late Monday.

The power plant runs on European-sponsored industrial diesel, a limited amount of which - enough for several days - entered the strip on Thursday.

The radical Islamic Jihad faction claimed responsibility for firing four al-Quds rockets into Israel Tuesday, saying the act was in revenge for the killing by Israeli soldiers of an Islamic Jihad militant in the West Bank city of Jenin overnight. dpa sar ok ds

Disclaimer

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Copyright (c) dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH