Tel Aviv, July 18 (RHC)-- Israel has closed the Kerem Shalom crossing to any gas and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip.  The crossing was already closed to most merchandise, but fuel, food and medicine that have explicit Israeli permissions were exempt. 

Moreover, the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip has been reduced to three nautical miles, half of what it was. 

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas replied to Israel's action with a statement posted on the official website of the organization.  “The Israeli occupation’s closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing and depriving Gaza from the most simple necessities of life is a crime against humanity that will be added to its list of crimes at the expense of the Palestinian people including those living in the Strip,” said the statement. 

Emphasizing that “these vengeful measures reflect the degree of the oppression and the ugliness of the crime that Gaza is facing,” the statement said “that these measures will have dangerous consequences for which the occupation will bear full responsibility." 

Additionally, the Egyptian government announced the temporary closure of the Rafah crossing, due to technical problems. The announcement emphasized that the malfunction was on their side and that the closure will be only temporary.