Israel closes Gaza crossings after rocket fire

Israel closed its commercial border crossings with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip today after Palestinian militants fired a rocket …

Israel closed its commercial border crossings with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip today after Palestinian militants fired a rocket toward the Jewish state.

An Israeli police spokesman said a rocket fired by militants toward Israel yesterday landed inside the Gaza Strip, failing to cross the border.

Limited humanitarian aid was allowed into the coastal enclave for the second time in three weeks yesteday after Egypt prevailed on militant groups to halt rocket fire in return for Israel gradually lifting its blockade of the territory.

Israel clamped down on aid shipments to the Gaza Strip starting November 4, when a deadly army raid into the territory triggered a surge in rocket attacks. The violence threatened a five-month-old truce along the Israel-Gaza frontier.

Israel's closure of the crossings prompted the United Nations to warn of a looming humanitarian crisis.

REUTERS