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Israel seals Gaza crossings after shelling
 [Ma'an] One truck of carnations and two trucks of strawberries were set to leave the Gaza Strip Thursday, with an expected 86-96 truckloads of humanitarian aid to enter the area, Palestinian crossings authority official Raed Fattouh said. When a projectile reportedly fired by Gaza militants hit near the Kerem Shalom crossing, however, the transfer point was shut-down and sealed. The Israeli office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) could not immediately be reached to confirm whether the crossing would be re-opened later in the day. The import/export activity was set to go through Gaza's only open crossing, Kerem Shalom, as Israeli officials announced the permanent closure of the Nahal Oz crossing - previously used for the transport of fuel - and decided to keep the bulk goods crossing closed at Karni. The one crossing generally operates five or fewer times a week. Before Israel's siege on Gaza began, three commercial crossings and one pedestrian crossing operated at least six days a week for the entry and exit of goods and individuals. On Wednesday, 66 tucks of aid was sent into Gaza via through Kerem Shalom and 554,595 liters of fuel as well as 105,730 liters of cooking gas were permitted to be pumped into the Strip. The Karni crossing was also open on Wednesday, where two trucks of strawberries were permitted to be exported, and 70 trucks of bulk goods were transferred into the area. Posted by: Fred 2010-01-08 |
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