Israel extends Gaza closure for another day

The Israeli occupation army decided on Wednesday to extend the closure of the border crossings into the Gaza Strip for another day, local media have reported. Sources also quoted military officials as saying that they might also prevent Palestinian fishermen from leaving Gaza’s small port.

The closure of the Gaza crossings followed Israel’s arrest of a senior Islamic Jihad official in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Monday. Security was also ramped up in the settlements around the Gaza Strip as the army feared that the movement would retaliate for Bassam Al-Saadi’s detention.

Two other people were arrested alongside Al-Saadi. Moreover, a 17-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by soldiers during the operation at Al-Saadi’s home.

Security cameras show Israeli occupation soldiers dragging Al-Saadi, who looked to have been wounded. Israeli military sources claimed that he was bitten by army dogs.

The authorities in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation authorities had told them that the crossings would also be closed today. The Economic Ministry in the territory said that the further closure of the crossings extended the suffering of the Palestinians living in Gaza under a strict Israeli siege for 15 years.

The head of the Gaza Crossings Committee, Rami Abul-Rish, pointed out that 80 per cent of the commodities that are actually allowed into Gaza pass through Israeli-controlled crossings. He stressed the importance of maintaining the flow of goods to keep people alive, even if the flow is at its minimal level dictated by the occupation state.

READ: Hamas slams international silence on Israeli violations in Gaza