Gaza crossings reopen after Kassam attack proved false

Regardless, 'Hizbullah Palestine' claims responsibility for attack.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the crossings for the transferal of goods between Israel and Gaza reopened on Thursday, after an alleged Kassam rocket attack proved to be false. Earlier, it was feared that Palestinians had violated the fragile truce with Israel once more by firing a Kassam rocket from the Gaza Strip at the western Negev town of Sderot. Hizbullah Palestine, a little-known group, claimed responsibility. It first emerged last week when it claimed responsibility for an Oct. 21 rocket attack. Following the alleged attack, Barak had ordered the crossings closed indefinitely. Kerem Shalom crossing, the Nahal Oz fuel terminal and the Karni goods crossing were temporarily shut down. Last week, Palestinians fired a Kassam that landed outside Kibbutz Gvaram. Israel closed border crossings to Gaza in response to the attack. Since the inception of the truce agreement between Israel and the Hamas government in June, Palestinians have fired over 20 rockets and 20 mortars at western Negev communities. On Monday, military uniforms that were intended to be used by Hamas for terror operations were discovered by military personnel at the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip. The fatigues were hidden inside a truck that was carrying humanitarian supplies and had received permission to transfer its load to Gaza from the IDF's Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration. AP and Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.