"Israel crossing into Gaza had to close due to deliberate and continuous rocket fire"

"Starting at 06:00 yesterday (Sunday, 10 August), several rockets were intentionally fired at the Kerem Shalom Crossing between Israel and Gaza, hitting working areas of the crossing. Despite this, the transfer of goods continued until the afternoon hours, with over 30 trucks laden with humanitarian equipment entering the Gaza Strip," the Israel Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.

"At approximately 12:30pm, an additional barrage of rockets was fired, directly hitting the crossing compound. It was decided not to endanger the workers at the site and to halt the transfer of goods until further notice," it said.

Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge on July 8, the Kerem Shalom Crossing has facilitated the passage of 2,772 trucks laden with medical and hygiene equipment, food products, raw materials, textiles, animal food, cleaning materials and home utensils, as well as gas and fuels.

The transfer of goods has been carried out in order to render humanitarian assistance to civilians living in the Gaza Strip.

"Dozens of rockets were fired at the crossing since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge," read the statement.

The Defense Ministry Land Crossings Authority said, "After continuous and intentional rocket fire at the Kerem Shalom Crossing this morning and this afternoon, during which trucks carrying flammable materials to the Gaza Strip were almost hit, we took the exceptional decision to close the crossing in order to protect the lives of workers and traders. The crossing was open throughout Operation Protective Edge despite constant firing in its vicinity and is the sole artery for the passage of vital humanitarian goods and equipment to the residents of the Gaza Strip."