Israel to reopen Gaza crossings Erez and Kerem Shalom after two-day hiatus

Israel will reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, following a two-day closure, a Palestinian official said Monday.

Israeli authorities closed the crossing on Sunday, in response to what they said was a rocket fired from Gaza into south Israel.

Raed Fatouh, the official responsible for coordinating traffic through Kerem Shalom, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli authorities had notified his department that they would reopen the crossing on Tuesday.

He said Israel would allow fuel and other commodities into the blockaded Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

Apart from Kerem Shalom, Israeli authorities also on Sunday closed down Erez crossing, which is dedicated for the movement of persons between the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

The news was confirmed by an Israeli official late on Monday.

"The crossing points of Erez and Kerem Shalom will be open as normal on Tuesday morning," an unnamed Israeli army spokesperson told AFP, without giving details. 

Blockaded by Israel since 2007 the Gaza Strip has seven border crossings linking it to the outside world.

Six of these crossings are controlled by Israel, while the seventh – the Rafah crossing – is controlled by Egypt, which keeps it tightly sealed for the most part.

Israel sealed four of its commercial crossings with Gaza in June 2007 after Hamas wrested control of the strip from the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

As it currently stands, Israeli authorities allow the Kerem Shalom crossing – which links Gaza to both Israel and Egypt – to operate for commercial purposes.

A truce deal brokered in August by Egypt, between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza, called for reopening the strip's border crossings, which, if implemented, would effectively end the seven-year Israeli blockade of the territory.