Israel has sealed its borders with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after a surge in cross-border attacks this week. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the move is raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished territory. Israel has closed all border crossings into Gaza, in response to an escalation in Palestinian rocket attacks. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has fired more than 100 rockets at Israel since Tuesday, when Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians, most of them Hamas gunmen. The rocket attacks have terrorized the Israeli town of Sderot and farming communities on the Gaza border. Israeli spokesman Arieh Mekel says that under these circumstances, it cannot be business as usual with Gaza. The closure is a further blow to besieged Gaza, which is already facing shortages of food, raw materials, fuel and electricity. Israel has tightened sanctions since June, when Hamas seized control of Gaza and defeated the Fatah forces of Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . Erez Crossing at the northern border of the Gaza Strip. Dr. Mona al-Farra of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza says the situation is going from bad to worse. The government of President Abbas in the West Bank also condemned the border closures. Palestinian officials warned that Israel is harming new peace talks, which resumed last month after a seven-year break.
Israel has sealed its borders with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip after a surge in cross-border attacks this week. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's bureau, the move is raising fears of a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished territory. Israel has closed all border crossings into Gaza, in response to an escalation in Palestinian rocket attacks. The militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has fired more than 100 rockets at Israel since Tuesday, when Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians, most of them Hamas gunmen. The rocket attacks have terrorized the Israeli town of and farming communities on the Gaza border. Israeli spokesman Arieh Mekel says that under these circumstances, it cannot be business as usual with Gaza. The closure is a further blow to besieged Gaza, which is already facing shortages of food, raw materials, fuel and electricity. Israel has tightened sanctions since June, when Hamas seized control of Gaza and defeated the forces of Western-backed Palestinian President . Erez Crossing at the northern border of the Gaza Strip. Dr. Mona al-Farra of the in Gaza says the situation is going from bad to worse. The government of President Abbas in the also condemned the border closures. Palestinian officials warned that Israel is harming new peace talks, which resumed last month after a seven-year break.
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Jerusalem
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Islamic
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Sderot
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Fatah
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Mahmoud Abbas
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Palestinian Red Crescent
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West Bank