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| Israel closes crossings with Gaza | Israel closes crossings with Gaza |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Israel has closed its crossings with the Gaza Strip, after a series of rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns from the Hamas-run territory. | Israel has closed its crossings with the Gaza Strip, after a series of rocket attacks on nearby Israeli towns from the Hamas-run territory. |
| The UN relief agency providing for Palestinian refugees in Gaza said it was unable to deliver humanitarian aid as a result of the closure. | |
| The measure came as at least one militant was killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike. | The measure came as at least one militant was killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike. |
| They had just launched rockets into Israel, officials on both sides said. | They had just launched rockets into Israel, officials on both sides said. |
| A militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was also killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Nablus. | A militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was also killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Nablus. |
| Gaza is completely shut down - this will only add to an already dire situation Christopher GunnessUNRWA | Gaza is completely shut down - this will only add to an already dire situation Christopher GunnessUNRWA |
| The Israeli military has intensified operations in Gaza this week, killing at least 32 Palestinians, mostly of them militants, in air strikes. | |
| Hamas, the militant Islamist group, has fired salvoes of unguided rockets for the first time in months, causing injuries in Israel. | Hamas, the militant Islamist group, has fired salvoes of unguided rockets for the first time in months, causing injuries in Israel. |
| The sharp rise in violence in the Gaza Strip comes after a recent US-led push for progress in peace talks. | The sharp rise in violence in the Gaza Strip comes after a recent US-led push for progress in peace talks. |
| Roads dug up | Roads dug up |
| Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak took the decision to close Gaza's borders on Thursday evening, prompted by the rocket attacks. | Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak took the decision to close Gaza's borders on Thursday evening, prompted by the rocket attacks. |
| More attacks followed on Friday, with one hitting the Israeli town of Ashkelon. No casualties were reported. | More attacks followed on Friday, with one hitting the Israeli town of Ashkelon. No casualties were reported. |
| "It's time that Hamas decide to either fight or take care of its population," Shlomo Dror, a spokesman for the Israeli defence ministry, said. "It's unacceptable that people in [the southern Israeli town of] Sderot are living in fear every day and people in Gaza are living life as usual." | |
| But, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Christopher Gunness, said it was unable to deliver lorryloads of aid because of the closure. | |
| "Gaza is completely shut down. This will only add to an already dire situation," he said. | "Gaza is completely shut down. This will only add to an already dire situation," he said. |
| Gazans were digging up roads because there was no cement for making graves, he said. | Gazans were digging up roads because there was no cement for making graves, he said. |
| "It is imperative that these crossings are opened so that the dire situation in Gaza does not deteriorate further, inflicting further misery on one-and-a-half million people," he said. | "It is imperative that these crossings are opened so that the dire situation in Gaza does not deteriorate further, inflicting further misery on one-and-a-half million people," he said. |
| The BBC's Martin Patience, who is at the Erez crossing, says he saw one Palestinian needing urgent medical treatment being allowed out of Gaza. | |
| Two Gazans were allowed to cross into the territory, returning from receiving treatment in Israel, as well as a vehicle belonging to UN children's fund Unicef, our correspondent says. | Two Gazans were allowed to cross into the territory, returning from receiving treatment in Israel, as well as a vehicle belonging to UN children's fund Unicef, our correspondent says. |
| Gaza receives its fuel and humanitarian supplies through Israel, and the territory has been under an ever-tightening blockade since Hamas took it over by force in June. | |
| Last week, a hopeful US President George W Bush was predicting the recently relaunched peace process could result in a deal within a year. | Last week, a hopeful US President George W Bush was predicting the recently relaunched peace process could result in a deal within a year. |
| But on Thursday, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned of "serious consequences" for the talks if the Israeli strikes continued. | But on Thursday, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned of "serious consequences" for the talks if the Israeli strikes continued. |