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Israel shuts down main Gaza crossing after rocket attack

Xinhua, September 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Israel closed down early on Tuesday morning Erez crossing on the borders with northern Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired from the coastal enclave into southern Israel, Israeli and Palestinians said.

Israeli media quoted Israeli army officials as saying that the shut-down of the crossing came after militants fired a rocket from the Strip into southern Israel, causing no damages or injuries.

The Hamas-run ministry of interior also said in a press statement that the Israeli occupation closed down Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing point with the Gaza Strip until a further notice.

The statement said that only humanitarian cases, mainly patients going to Israeli and West Bank hospitals for medical treatment, will be allowed to cross through Erez into Israel.

On Tuesday, unknown militants fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel, but the rocket fell down near border fences. No damages or injuries were reported and no one claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli blockade since Islamic Hamas movement's violent takeover of the coastal enclave. Israel controls two passages, the Erez Crossing and Kerem Shalom on the borders with the salient.

So far, indirect talks between Israel and Gaza Hamas rulers haven't made any breakthrough in reaching a long-term truce mediated by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hamas officials said the agreement is not ripped yet. Enditem