Israel closes Gaza border crossings for elections

Israeli authorities yesterday closed two border crossings with the Gaza Strip – Kerem Shalom and Erez during its general elections, a Palestinian official said.

Israeli authorities informed the Palestinians of the planned border closures, Nazmi Mehana, head of the Palestinian border authority, told the Anadolu Agency.

Mehana added that only medical patients would be allowed through the crossings today.

Kerem Shalom is used for commercial use, while Erez is generally used for the movement of individuals between the blockaded Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Blockaded by Israel – by air, land and sea – since 2007, the Gaza Strip has a total of seven border crossings linking it to the outside world. Six of the crossings are controlled by Israel while the seventh – the Rafah crossing – is controlled by Egypt.

Israel sealed four of the crossings in June 2007 after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas gained control of the Strip from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

As it currently stands, Israel allows the Kerem Shalom crossing, which links Gaza to both Israel and Egypt, to operate for commercial purposes.

A truce deal signed in Cairo last summer by the Palestinian factions in Gaza and Israel called for reopening the Strip’s border crossings – a move which, if implemented, would effectively end the eight-year blockade of the territory.