Israel, Egypt Close Borders with Gaza Strip
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israel closed its border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Sunday following a Kassam rocket attack Friday night. With the exception of urgent humanitarian cases, the Kerem Shalom and Erez Crossings will remain closed until further notice, the Government Press Office announced.
Hamas, the Palestinian faction controlling Gaza, denied responsibility for the attack, arresting five suspects and saying it's interested in maintaining the quiet. It is the second rocket attack since last summer's Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel took effect, following Operation Protective Edge.
"Our people did not shoot the rocket and we are committed to the ceasefire," Israel Radio quoted Hamas officials.
Egypt, meanwhile, is creating a buffer zone to prevent Gaza-based terrorists from smuggling weapons and jihadists through the network of smuggling tunnels with the Sinai Peninsula.
Egyptian forces are clearing the zone on both sides of the eight-mile border with Gaza and relocating families to central Sinai. Many of the families, tired of being buffeted by jihadists, are reportedly amenable to the government's relocation package.
On the Gaza side of the border, Egypt provided about 200 families within the 500-meter (about 1,600 feet) no man's land with compensation packages, though nearly 700 families have yet to accept the offer, Arutz Sheva reported.
Under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt is determined to root out terror cells operating in the vast Sinai desert, with help from some of the local Bedouin.
Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh quoted a report by the Kuwait News Agency on an emergency session of the Arab League on Sunday. League members expressed support for Egypt's battle against terrorism, which, they said, threatens the security of the entire Arab world.
Egyptian officials, meanwhile, traced the smuggled weapons and explosives used in last week's suicide bombing and shooting attacks to Hamas. At least 31 Egyptian security forces were killed and some 30 others injured in the dual attacks. Egypt considers Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a terror group.
Satellite imagery revealed more smuggling tunnels despite the hundreds destroyed by Israel and Egypt. The topography in northern Sinai lends itself to concealing the openings to the tunnels.
In view of last week's attacks, Egypt postponed third-party ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas scheduled to resume in November.
