Hamas closes border crossing with Israel

Hamas said Tuesday it has closed the Erez border crossing due to Israeli shelling, in a move that stranded a group of Palestinians planning to cross for medical treatment.
A group of about 20 Palestinians, some of whom were scheduled to enter Israel for cancer treatment, had arrived at the crossing early on Tuesday, an AFP correspondent said.
There was no immediate confirmation of the closure from COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry unit responsible for the crossing.
But a Hamas official at the site insisted the crossing was not open, and the gate leading to the tunnel that connects the Israeli and Gaza sides of the crossing was closed.
"The border has been closed because of constant Israeli shelling," he said.
The crossing area has been hit previously, but there were no reports of shelling on Monday or Tuesday.
A second official said the crossing would remain closed until they received international assurances that the terminal would be protected from Israeli air strikes.
"We need an international guarantee that the crossing, and the route between the two sides of the crossing, will not be bombed by Israel," he said.
The Erez crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel is ordinarily open for Palestinians granted rare permission to enter the Jewish state, usually for medical purposes.
Earlier in the week, Palestinians holding foreign passports evacuated through the crossing, fleeing an Israeli aerial campaign that has killed more than 185 people.
Source: AFP