GAZA: Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, a day after the terminal was damaged during protests by Palestinians that turned violent.
Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators on Friday broke into the Gaza side of the terminal – the main conduit for goods in and out of the territory – setting a pipeline that delivers gas from Israel alight, torching a goods conveyor belt and damaging a fuel pipe.
“The crossing will remain closed until the damage caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment,” the Israeli military said, adding that in the meantime it will be opened for humanitarian cases only.
More than two million people are packed into the narrow coastal enclave of Gaza, where poverty and unemployment rates are high. Kerem Shalom is one of three main Gaza border crossings with Israel and Egypt, but it is where most goods pass through daily.