By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) – The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, which Israeli and Palestinian media said caused Israeli casualties.
The Israeli military said 10 projectiles were launched from Rafah in southern Gaza towards the crossing, which it said was now closed to help trucks entering the coastal enclave. However, other passages remain open.
Hamas’ military wing said it fired rockets at an Israeli army base near the crossing, but did not confirm where it fired them from. Hamas media cited a source close to the group as saying the commercial crossing was not the target.
More than a million Palestinians are taking refuge in Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
Israel has vowed to enter the southern Gaza city and flush out Hamas forces there, but has faced growing pressure to hold back the fire as the operation could derail fragile humanitarian efforts in Gaza and endangering many other lives.
Sunday’s attack on the terminal came as hopes for ongoing ceasefire talks in Cairo were fading.
(Reporting by Maytaal Angel and Nidal al-Mughrabi; editing by Bernadette Baum and Alexander Smith)
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