Rocket Launched From Gaza Falls on Israel Over Weekend, Egypt Creating Buffer Zone
Border Crossings Closed In Response
Israeli early warning detection systems picked up a rocket launch from Gaza on Friday night. Originally the rocket was believed to have fallen short on the Gaza side of the border, though it is now understood the rocket made it over the border into Israel.
It is unknown which terror organization fired the missile.
In response to the missile fire, Israel shut down the Keren Shalom and Erez border crossings, and they will remain closed until further notice.
Egypt has also been hard at work dealing with the threat posed by Gaza, and has uncovered and destroyed hundreds of smuggling tunnels in the Sinai in recent weeks. The Egyptian army claims to have uncovered over 1,600 smuggling tunnels since Mohammed Morsi was deposed by the army on July 3, 2013.
The Egyptian army also began destroying homes on the Rafah border with Gaza to create a buffer zone on the border. The army is expected to demolish more than 800 homes, as it is aiming to create a 500 meter wide buffer zone with a 20 meter deep trench along the 13 kilometer (eight mile) long border. The demolition work has already begun.
Egypt also closed its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, saying it is in response to the suicide bombing carried out October 24th in the Sinai. The bombing killed 33 Egyptian soldiers.
by Tzvi Zucker
Tazpit News Agency