Israel halts Gaza fuel, gas transfers to punish Hamas

Israel shut down its only cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in response to continued hostilities with Hamas, despite agreeing to a ceasefire with the movement to end 24 hours of intense fighting.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel will cease transferring gas and fuel through the Kerem Shalom crossing until next Sunday, but will allow food and essential medications to cross.

He also said Israel was tightening its naval blockade to limit Palestinians from sailing beyond three nautical miles off the Gazan coast.

Israel previously allowed sailing until six nautical miles.

Israel pounded Hamas targets on Saturday in its most massive bombardment since the 2014 war, while militants fired dozens of rockets toward Israel that halted daily life in the area.

Two Palestinian teenagers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.

Israel says it has no interest is engaging in another war with Hamas, but says it will no longer tolerate incendiary kites and balloons across the border that have ignited fires damaging Israeli farms and nature reserves.

On Sunday, Israel says it discovered a falcon to which Gaza militants tied an incendiary device meant to set fires. It appeared to be the first case of Gaza fighters using animals to attack Israel.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on Gaza for over a decade in an attempt to weaken Hamas.

The blockade has caused widespread economic hardship and has been decried by rights groups as collective punishment.

The weekend's violence came after months of near-weekly border demonstrations to protest the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza. Over 130 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began on 30 March.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing open to transport goods into and out of Gaza, including fuel and food.

The UN has warned that Gaza would be "unliveable" by 2020 due to Israel's land and sea blockade, which began after Hamas took control of the strip in 2007.