Israeli authorities close Gaza crossings following arrest of Islamic Jihad leader, raising concerns for residents

Israeli authorities on Tuesday closed all crossings into the besieged Gaza Strip until further notice amid concerns of retaliatory attacks by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) following the arrest of its West Bank-based leader Bassam al-Saadi, raising concerns for the welfare of Gaza residents.

Speaking to The New Arab, Raed Fattouh, a Palestinian official in charge of commercial affairs in the Gaza Strip, said that the Israeli authorities informed them of the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing without specifying the reasons. Fattouh also said the Israeli authorities returned Palestinian goods destined for export from the crossing and expelled the Palestinian workers from the only commercial port of the Strip.

The Israeli authorities also closed the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, designated for the movement of Gazans from the Strip into Israel and the West Bank, while allowing ambulances to carry patients with critical health conditions for treatment in Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank, to cross the border. 

Local sources said that the Israeli authorities prevented the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons from visiting their relatives every week through the Erez crossing.

Watch how aggressively the Israeli occupation forces arrested a Palestinian man in Jenin yesterday. pic.twitter.com/OhDlQdc5Wt

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) August 2, 2022

Last night, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian and wounded another one during a military operation carried out in the West Bank city of Jenin in a bid to arrest al-Saadi.

In a press statement, Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the PIJ, declared a state of alert and raised the level of readiness, in response to "Israeli aggression against our leader and his family in Jenin".

Avechai Adreaa, spokesman of  the Israeli army claimed in a press statement that “based on an assessment of the situation and activities related to the PIJ, the Israeli army decided to close areas and roads adjacent to the security fence with the Gaza Strip, for fear of direct targeting and to prevent civilians from being targeted.”

Israel routinely uses these tactics under the guise of security but critics say such decisions amount to collective punishment.