Israel reopens Gaza crossings

The Israeli army on Wednesday reopened the two crossings into the Gaza Strip which were closed as a punitive measure after militants fired five rockets over the border, a statement said. "Kerem Shalom and Erez were reopened this morning and are operating as normal," the army said in a statement. The two crossings were closed on Monday. Kerem Shalom, which lies at the southern tip of the Israel-Gaza border, is the crossing point for all commercial goods, while Erez, which lies at the northermost point of the strip, is the terminal for travellers. Late on Sunday, militants fired five rockets at southern Israel, two of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system. The other three caused no damage or injury but prompted several retaliatory air strikes by the Israeli air force overnight, which also caused no injuries. Israeli military officials said they believed the rockets had been fired by Islamic Jihad as a result of an internal feud with the ruling Hamas movement, which is responsible for maintaining the calm along the border.