Israel re-opens two Gaza Strip crossings

Israeli authorities have re-opened the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings into the Gaza Strip after closing them a day earlier, Palestinian and Israeli officials said Thursday. Palestinian border official Raed Fattouh said that Israel would allow 167 truckloads of medical aid, clothes, shoes, fruit and livestock to enter Gaza. An Israeli liaison official confirmed that both crossings were operating Thursday. They had been closed due to the "security situation" on the border, an official said Wednesday. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights on Wednesday condemned what it termed Israel's targeting of the Erez customs checkpoint, injuring a policeman. The closures followed an upsurge of violence that seemed to be decreasing Thursday after Egyptian mediation between Israel and armed groups in Gaza. On Wednesday, Israel killed a Hamas militant in an airstrike which it said was intended to stop rocket launches. A day earlier Israeli forces killed three Hamas-affiliated fighters, saying they had either launched attacks or were about to do so. In southern Israel, three agricultural workers were wounded when a rocket exploded near them Wednesday. A military spokeswoman said 86 projectiles had been fired at Israel between Tuesday and Wednesday and that the Iron Dome system had intercepted eight.