Gaza aid hampered by border fire; two Thai workers killed in Israel

dpa Tel Aviv/Ramallah Aid delivery to Gaza was suspended following attacks on two border crossings on Tuesday, as the exchange of fire between Israel and ...

dpa Tel Aviv/RamallahAid delivery to Gaza was suspended following attacks on two border crossings on Tuesday, as the exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza continued and further lives were lost, including two foreign workers from Thailand.Kerem Schalom and Erez, two border crossings into impoverished Gaza, had been temporarily opened from 11 am to 5 pm to allow the delivery of aid, including medical equipment and fuel tanks, donated by international organizations, according to the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).A mortar bomb hit the Erez Crossing and mortars were fired towards the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the statement said.A soldier in the Israeli Defense Force was lightly injured and was taken to hospital for medical treatment.“Following that, it has been decided to stop the entry of the rest of the trucks,” the statement said.The bombing came as militants in Gaza resumed firing more rockets towards Israel on Tuesday at midday, after six hours of calm.Two Thai nationals in Israel were killed when rockets landed in the Eshkol border region, according to an Israeli police spokesperson.One person was seriously injured and five more were slightly injured in the attack that hit a residence housing foreign workers.Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, in communities along the border with Gaza and in the city of Ashkelon.Israel’s army said it had hit a Hamas group that was about to fire anti-tank missiles.The homes of 12 senior commanders of the organization ruling the Gaza Strip have been attacked during the past 24 hours, the army said.Meanwhile in the West Bank, an armed Palestinian man was killed in an attempted attack.The man was armed with an IED, a “Carlo”-style gun and a knife, and tried to attack soldiers in Hebron, the Israeli Defense Force said in a statement. The soldiers fired at the man. He was killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.As Israel continued to respond with air strikes, thousands in Ramallah, the West Bank and in Israel turned out to protest.In Ramallah, thousands of Palestinians attended a rally, many holding Palestinian flags and signs of protest. “Bombing children is not self-defence,” one sign read.Many then headed to an Israeli military barricade but witnesses said they retreated after soldiers used tear gas.Arab Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank also held labour strikes in protest.Arab Israelis were also demonstrating against the actions taken by Israeli security forces against Muslim worshippers at the Jerusalem holy site known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims, as well as over forced evictions in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.In Israel, Arab doctors, nurses and many teachers were excluded from the strike.There were also calls for rallies and a “Day of Rage” in the West Bank.The Health Ministry in Gaza said 213 people had died since the conflict began over a week ago. In Israel, 12 people have died.Leaders abroad continued to call for peace.French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday, French officials said, in an effort to bring about a ceasefire.Al-Sissi is in Paris for a conference on Africa and the three leaders talked by videoconference.Macron had said on Monday after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart that he supports Egyptian mediation try and stop the bloodshed.“We are engaged in quiet but very intensive diplomacy in an effort to de-escalate, end the violence and then hopefully move on to build something more positive in its wake,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, US President Joe Biden had earlier expressed support for a ceasefire in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.