Israel bombs Gaza tunnel, closes crossing after attack
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Saturday it was shutting down its main cargo crossing into Gaza after Palestinian protesters caused extensive damage to it, and that it had also destroyed an attack tunnel militants dug near its main pedestrian crossing.
The twin developments come ahead of a potentially charged week along the Israel-Gaza border as weekly protests being staged there are expected to culminate with a potential breach of the border and a surge in casualties.
Thousands of Palestinians protested Friday in various locations along the frontier. Later, a group of Palestinians burned a fuel complex and conveyor belt on their side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, causing more than $9 million in damages and disrupting the import of diesel fuel and building materials, the military said. It said the attack rendered the main fuel and gas lines unusable and caused further damage to electrical infrastructure and other vital equipment.
The military said the Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed until further notice and not before the damage is repaired.
A lengthy closing of the crossing would deliver further devastation to Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis. The fuel installation is the only way to bring diesel fuel into Gaza for operating generators for hospitals and other key facilities. The military distributed a video showing Palestinians cheering as a fire was set. It was the second such attack on the facility in a week, it said.
“Hamas continues to lead the residents of Gaza to destroy the only assistance they receive,” the army said.
Late Saturday, the military carried out several airstrikes in the northern Gaza strip to destroy a Hamas tunnel that was being built there.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the Israelis had tracked the tunnel for weeks and destroyed it just a few feet inside Gaza. It’s the sixth such Hamas tunnel Israel has destroyed in as many months thanks to the military’s new technological means to detect and destroy them.
Hamas called the airstrikes a “failed attempt” to prevent protests.
“Our people’s response will come on Monday by marching” to the fence, it said in a statement.
Conricus said both incidents proved Israel’s longstanding claim that Hamas, and other militant groups, were using the mass protests as cover for attacks against Israel.
“Hamas is killing Gaza with its terrorist activities against civilian facilities,” Conricus said.
Cooking gas and fuel, which are delivered to Gaza through Kerem Shalom on a daily basis, are the first items likely to be affected. A fear of shortage had already engulfed Gaza late Saturday, as more cars were lining up at gas stations to stock on diesel and gasoline.
A Palestinian was killed and 176 were wounded by Israeli army fire Friday. The death raises to 42 the number of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces since weekly protests began on March 30. More than 1,800 have been wounded.