Israel shutters crossings with Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Monday to close the Kerem Shalom border crossing, starting from Tuesday.

The crossing serves as the main entry point for commercial goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip.

“We will double our efforts against Hamas,” Netanyahu told his Likud faction meeting in the Knesset to the applause of party activists amid criticism over his government’s response to ongoing violence on the Gaza border.

While Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said that he had instructed the Israeli forces “to take a number of steps” to respond to “Hamas provocations” on the border.