Allowing access to the vicinity of the Old City of Jerusalem

Israel completely closes the fishing zone off Gaza due to the rocket fire

Boats without movement inside the fishing port in Gaza City yesterday.

A.F.B.

Yesterday, the Israeli army announced the closure of the sea to the fishermen of the Gaza Strip, following the continued firing of rockets, while the Israeli police allowed Palestinians to reach the vicinity of the Old City in East Jerusalem, with the aim of easing tensions.

In detail, the Israeli army announced the closure of the sea to the fishermen of the Gaza Strip and preventing them from reaching the sea, following the continued launching of rockets from the Strip towards Israel.

In a statement, the Coordination Unit for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) of the Israeli Ministry of Defense confirmed that the fishing area was completely closed until further notice.

According to the statement, this decision was taken "in light of the continued firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel."

Israel is imposing a land, sea and air blockade on the Palestinian sector, which has a population of two million, and has been controlled by the "Hamas" movement for more than a decade.

The statement of the Ministry of Defense unit held Hamas "responsible for what is happening in the Gaza Strip and it is based on it," stressing that it is responsible for "the repercussions of the acts of violence committed against the citizens of Israel," according to the statement.

Yesterday evening, and the night before last, it fired five rockets at Israel, compared to thirty rockets the night before, and Israel carried out raids on several targets in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for an end to what he described as "the violence emanating from the Gaza Strip."

Gantz wrote on the social networking site "Twitter" that he expressed, during a conversation with UN Special Envoy Tor Vinesland, "the urgent need for an immediate end to the violence from Gaza," and affirmed "Israel's firm commitment to the protection of its citizens and sovereignty."

According to a report by the Walla news site, Israel has informed Fisland with a "final warning" to Hamas, and has threatened a strong response in the event of more rocket attacks.

This tension between Israel and "Hamas" coincided with clashes in Jerusalem between the Israeli police and ultra-Orthodox Jews on the one hand, and Palestinian demonstrators on the other hand, against the backdrop of preventing Palestinians from gathering at the Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City.

Yesterday evening, the Israeli police allowed Palestinians to re-access the vicinity of the Old City in East Jerusalem, in a move aimed at easing tensions in the city in recent days, according to an AFP journalist.

An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of Palestinian youths gathering in front of the Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City, when the police announced through a loudspeaker that the area was open to everyone.

The police allowed the Palestinian demonstrators to remove the metal barriers they had put up in recent days to prevent them from reaching the place, which caused violent confrontations between the two sides over the course of several nights.

A police spokesman told «AFP» that the decision came «after consultations with local officials and religious leaders and an assessment of the situation, taking into account the shopkeepers who need to earn a living, and in order to reduce the level of violence».

He added that the forces are still deployed on the ground and will not allow a renewal of violence.

Agence France-Presse correspondents reported that the police chased a group of Palestinians who were celebrating the removal of roadblocks and waving the Palestinian flag, and arrested a number of them, but the square in front of the Damascus Gate is now open to the Palestinians who gathered in it, amid a heavy deployment of Israeli police.

The clashes began in recent days after the Israeli police set up metal barriers to prevent sitting on the steps surrounding the Damascus Gate, where Palestinians usually gather on Ramadan nights after breakfast.

When Jews from the extreme right announced that they wanted to demonstrate near this wide gate overlooking the Old City, many Palestinians saw this as a provocation and an attempt to take control of this symbolic site.

The fiercest clashes took place last Thursday evening, when the Palestinians wanted to organize a counter-march, but the Israeli police confronted them and clashed with them.

As a result of these clashes, about 100 Palestinian demonstrators and 20 Israeli policemen were injured.

• Israel informs the UN envoy of an ultimatum to "Hamas", and is threatening a strong response to the rocket attacks.

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