Israel closes Gaza crossings after mortar attack
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel closed all but one of its border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in response to a mortar attack 24 hours earlier, Israeli officials said.
The Jewish state said one mortar shell was fired from Gaza on Monday and landed in southern Israel, causing no casualties or damage.
"All crossings, except for the Erez terminal, will be closed today because of the mortar fired yesterday," said defense official Peter Lerner.
Israel has responded to previous rocket and mortar salvoes by closing border crossings into the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist Hamas movement seized control a year ago by routing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah forces.
Under a truce brokered by Egypt on June 19, militants in Gaza are required to halt rocket and mortar fire in return for Israel gradually lifting a blockade of the coastal territory.
(Reporting by Avida Landau)
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