Gaza crossing 'will open if Hamas sticks to ceasefire'

Gaza crossing 'will open if Hamas sticks to ceasefire'
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Gaza's crossing may open later on in the week, if Hamas commits to a ceasefire, as Israeli bombings continue.
2 min read
22 July, 2018
Lieberman said Gaza's commercial crossing may be opened on Tuesday [Getty]

Israel said it may reopen some of the besieged Gaza Strip's crossings later on in the week if calm between Hamas and Israel continues.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced on Sunday that Gaza's main commercial crossing might be opened and Israel may expand the Palestinian fishing zone off the blockaded enclave's coast on Tuesday if the lull in unrest persists.

This is in spite of Israel breaking the ceasefire on Saturday hours after it was brokered.

In the early hours of Saturday, Hamas announced a ceasefire was reached following UN and Egypt efforts.

"With Egyptian and UN efforts, we reached (an agreement) to return to the previous state of calm between the occupation and the Palestinian factions," Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said in a statement.

Just hours after the statement, Israel bombed a Hamas observation post in eastern Gaza.

No casualties were reported but the Hamas observation post was destroyed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Israelis and Palestinians to avoid "another devastating conflict" after resurgent violence claimed five lives on Friday. 

"I am gravely concerned over the dangerous escalation of violence in Gaza and southern Israel," he said in a statement

"It is imperative that all sides urgently step back from the brink of another devastating conflict.”

Four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died on Friday.

Israel's attacks on Gaza marks the most serious escalation between Hamas and Israel since Tel Aviv launched its Operation Protective Edge massacre in 2014.

Israel's vicious operation killed 2,200 Palestinians, more than 500 of whom were children. A quarter of Gaza's nearly two million population were also displaced in the brutal offensive.