The Israeli authorities continue to close the Gaza Strip crossings for the third day in a row, in light of possible border tension and are on alert in the areas surrounding the Strip.

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy in Gaza, Abdel Fattah Al-Zari’i, warned of the repercussions of the continued occupation of closing the commercial crossings to the Strip, and stressed that the decision to keep the crossings closed for the third day in a row “aims to tighten the siege and stifle the population and the commercial movement of the crossings” and leave many obstacles and crises.

Al-Zari'i pointed out that the decision to close the Beit Hanoun checkpoint led to the suspension of the movement of travelers and thousands of workers and merchants, which will affect the economic movement inside Gaza.

On the other hand, Al-Jazeera correspondent in Gaza said that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid held security consultations with the Minister of Defense regarding the situation on the border with Gaza and the necessary steps to maintain security.

Israeli preparedness

Today, Thursday, Israeli media said, "The state of alert continues today in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, as many axes and roads remain closed to traffic."

She added that "the trains will not resume between Ashkelon and Sderot."

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation stated that the measures come "in anticipation of the Islamic Jihad movement firing rockets at Israel or attacks against soldiers and civilians along the security fence, in response to the arrest of the movement's leader, Bassam al-Saadi, and dozens of its members in the West Bank."

"Since the beginning of the week, dozens of army drones have been patrolling the skies over Gaza to gather intelligence and attack anti-tank teams and rocket launchers," the official Kan channel noted.

She added that the (Israeli) army "intends to find a solution for the residents of the kibbutzim of Nahal Oz in the northern Gaza Strip and Kerem Shalom in the southern Gaza Strip, who have been trapped in their homes since the start of the escalation."

Jihad vows

On Wednesday evening, Islamic Jihad renewed its call on Israel to "immediately" release al-Saadi in the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern West Bank, while its military wing vowed to "respond" to his arrest, and demanded that his family inform a medical committee about his health condition.

Earlier on Tuesday, Khader Habib, a leader of the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, said, "This crime will not go unpunished."

Habib told Anadolu Agency that the Jihad movement informed the Egyptian side (which mediates between the Palestinian factions and Israel) that it holds Tel Aviv "fully responsible for the repercussions of the crime of arresting al-Saadi."

And Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz had vowed to continue targeting anyone who seeks to stir up what he described as terrorism and harm the Israelis.

During the cabinet session, it was decided, on Wednesday, to continue the Israeli measures without setting a date for their end.

Hamas deplores international silence

For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) deplored the "international silence and inaction" as a result of Israel's violations aimed at starving the residents of the Gaza Strip.

This came in a previous statement by the movement's spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, commenting on Israel's closure of the Kerem Shalom commercial crossings in the south of the Gaza Strip, and Beit Hanoun in the north of the private sector for the movement of individuals.

Israel has maintained the closure of the Kerem Shalom and Beit Hanoun crossings in the northern Gaza Strip for individuals and the passage of goods (Getty Images)

The United Nations and Egypt are in contact with the two parties in an effort to prevent the situation from erupting.

In a large-scale military operation, the Israeli army arrested, on Monday evening, a leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, after raiding his home in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.