Shipments of foodstuffs and other supplies will again be withheld from Gaza on Sunday in retaliation for terrorist attacks on Jewish communities in southern Israel.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak had decided on Saturday to open the Gaza Crossings following a pause in rocket attacks on Israel, but reversed his decision late Saturday night following a renewal of the rocket fire.
Palestinian Authority terrorists fired three Kassam rockets at southern Israel; two exploded in open areas on the outskirt of the western Negev city of Sderot, and one exploded in a kibbutz south of Ashkelon. No casualties or damage were reported in any of the attacks.
IDF ground troops promptly fired at a group of terrorists who had already fired at least one of the rockets and were preparing to launch another. Local PA sources reported that several terrorists were injured in the attack.
Hamas terrorists said an IDF surface-to-surface missile was fired at a field in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, near Sderot, but claimed that no one was injured in the attack.
The crossings have been closed since November 5, when terrorists resumed intensified rocket and mortar attacks on Jewish civilians after a period of relative calm.
Humanitarian aid shipments have been allowed to pass through the Erez Crossing, although some shipments were halted last week due to an intelligence alert that a planned terror attack on a crossing was imminent.