Gaza - PalPress - Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh appealed for the first time on Tuesday to freedom fighters not to launch attacks against border crossings needed to bring vital humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh's call to exclude border crossings from attacks came nearly a week after Palestinian security forces said they seized an explosives-laden car near the Karni commercial crossing on the border with Israel after exchanging fire with its occupants.
‘I stress the need to protect the vital interests of the Palestinian people, including the crossings that represent the veins and the lungs of the Palestinian people,’ Haniyeh said at the beginning of a cabinet meeting.
‘All should stay far away, as much as possible, from the crossings, the gateways to the outside world, and avoid creating any disruptions ... so that our private sector, the ministries and the government can continue to be able to bring in the needs of our people,’ he said.
Last month, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered his presidential guard to take control of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.