Israel Closes Gaza Goods Crossing After Balloon Attacks

Jerusalem, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Aug, 2020 ) :Israel will close its goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, authorities said Monday, after militants fired rockets into the Mediterranean and launched incendiary balloons towards the Jewish state.

The Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed to all traffic except humanitarian equipment and fuel from Tuesday, COGAT, the defence ministry unit that oversees the crossings, said in a statement.

The move comes in response to the "continued launching of incendiary balloons" from Gaza, it added.

Israeli sources said late Monday that several balloons had landed in areas of southern Israel, without causing casualties.

Explosives tied to balloons and kites first emerged as a weapon in Gaza during intense protests in 2018, when the devices drifted across the border daily, causing thousands of fires in Israeli farms and communities.