Israel closes Gaza border crossings

Israel on Friday closed border crossings into the Gaza Strip, including passages for shipments of humanitarian goods, as a response to persistent rocket attacks by Gaza-based Palestinian militants.

Officials did not specify how long the closure would last, but are expected to review the decision early next week.

The move comes amid growing tensions over the cross-border rocket barrages, which have drawn pledges of stepped-up action from Israeli leaders, who have been unable to quell the attacks.

Later Friday, an Israeli air attack destroyed the former headquarters of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza City, Palestinian officials said. The building was empty at the time and had not been used since it was heavily damaged in an Israeli airstrike in 2006.

Palestinian reports said flying debris and shrapnel from the attack on the four-story building killed a woman and injured at least 15 people nearby. A separate airstrike hit a Hamas naval facility but caused no injuries.

Hamas had emptied security-related buildings in anticipation of Israeli strikes as violence escalated this week. Israeli forces killed 18 Palestinians, mostly militants, Tuesday in Gaza; more than 180 Kassam rockets and mortar rounds have been fired on Israel since then.

The Islamic militant movement Hamas controls the Gaza Strip and Israel holds the group responsible for the salvos fired into southern Israel.

Israel’s decision to seal Gaza’s border created fresh worry among international aid organizations, which have warned that earlier restrictions were causing shortages of food and fuel for generating electricity.

“The overall impact is to make an already dire humanitarian situation even worse,” said Christopher Gunness, spokesman for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which provides aid to Palestinian refugees.

The closure would have a limited effect on Gaza residents if lifted soon because aid workers have stockpiled goods in the strip.

But aid officials were concerned that a continued shutdown could reduce the supply of fuel needed to produce electricity for water treatment and other crucial functions.

Israel has all but sealed off Gaza’s 1.4 million residents, many of whom live in poverty and rely heavily on humanitarian aid shipped across the border from Israel. The main cargo portal has been closed since Hamas routed the rival Fatah movement from Gaza in June.

Although Israel has allowed shipments of food and other humanitarian goods, aid workers say it is not enough to meet residents’ needs.

Israeli officials have failed to find an effective response to the cross-border rocket salvos, which have terrorized residents in communities such as Sderot, a working-class Israeli town that is a frequent target.

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ellingwood@latimes.com

Special correspondent Rushdi abu Alouf in Gaza City contributed to this report.