Forex

he Israeli Defense Ministry in a late-night security assessment meeting Wednesday decided to keep the border crossings with the Gaza Strip closed Thursday in response to several Kassam rocket attacks a day earlier.

The crossings would only be opened Thursday for special humanitarian cases, but would not open fully until Friday, according to officials.

Restrictions at several crossings, which handle traffic between Israel and the coastal territory, were to be eased Wednesday following a ceasefire agreement with the Hamas movement The latest development will severely test the fragile seven-day-old Egyptian-brokered truce that took effect last Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Israeli military liaison official Peter Lerner said that the crossings would now remain closed until further notice. "We are keeping the Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings closed for the time being following the firing of rockets in flagrant violation of the truce deal," he said. However, the Erez passenger-crossing will be open.

The Jewish nation had started increasing the flow of goods into impoverished Gaza Strip, but the closures would now deal a crippling blow to the 1.5 million inmates of the area dependent on foreign aid.