A new Israeli site was added last night to the list of those shelled by Palestinian mortar: Kibbutz Nir Oz, well within pre-1967 Israel and east of the southern Gaza Strip. Despite the continued Palestinian shelling, the army removed around midnight last night the restrictions of Palestinian movement in the Gaza Strip that it instituted on Monday. IDF blockades had divided the Strip into three separate areas, in an effort to impede the mortar attacks. Palestinian trucks laden with weapons and ammunition can now continue to traverse the entire Gaza Strip without being subject to Israeli inspection.
An IDF statement today said, \"The restrictions were instituted because of an exceptional incident [the shelling of the city of Sderot] and were planned for a limited time only… There is no intention of making life difficult for the entire Palestinian population. The IDF will continue to implement the measures necessary to thwart Palestinian terrorism.\" The security cabinet decided yesterday to continue low-key IDF operations inside areas under PA autonomous control, in response to the continued Palestinian aggression.
The Israeli internet site Inyan Merkazi reports that the decision to remove the restrictions followed talks between the offices of Prime Minister Sharon and Yasser Arafat. Minister Salah Tarif (Labor) said that there have been contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the past few days regarding the renewal the diplomatic process. The Prime Minister\'s Office has not yet reacted to the report.
An IDF statement today said, \"The restrictions were instituted because of an exceptional incident [the shelling of the city of Sderot] and were planned for a limited time only… There is no intention of making life difficult for the entire Palestinian population. The IDF will continue to implement the measures necessary to thwart Palestinian terrorism.\" The security cabinet decided yesterday to continue low-key IDF operations inside areas under PA autonomous control, in response to the continued Palestinian aggression.
The Israeli internet site Inyan Merkazi reports that the decision to remove the restrictions followed talks between the offices of Prime Minister Sharon and Yasser Arafat. Minister Salah Tarif (Labor) said that there have been contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the past few days regarding the renewal the diplomatic process. The Prime Minister\'s Office has not yet reacted to the report.