Why Gaza's Borders Are Closed

For eight years, Palestinians in Gaza fired rockets and mortars into Israel. Hamas sent suicide bombers via various routes from Gaza into Israel, who were sometimes intercepted at the border crossings and sometimes not caught until they were in Israel.

Although slightly dated, this report sums up the game:

Since the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in the summer of 2005, Hamas and its allies have fired more than 6,000 rockets and mortars into Israel.6 The number of rocket attacks increased from November 2007 onward, targeting Sderot and other civilian areas. Palestinian terrorists fired some 200 mortar shells and Kassam rockets at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza, resulting in substantial damage and injuries to personnel.

During this period there were some 30 foiled attempts at terrorist infiltration, including at least 20 incidents where Palestinians used medical missions to attempt terror attacks. In June 2006, a female suicide terrorist was arrested at the Erez crossing while on her way to carry out an attack on an Israeli hospital. In May 2007, two female bombers received permits but were caught after slipping through security checks.7 On May 22, 2008, a truck loaded with 4.5 tons of explosives exploded just before reaching the crossing.

The ISA published reports on 11 individuals, including those just cited, who used permits for medical care or for family visits to patients already in Israel for the purpose of carrying out terror-related activities. At Erez, three patients admitted under questioning that they had purchased referral notes with bogus medical information from doctors in Gaza. According to the ISA, terror organizations were making a special effort to recruit women, including those who are pregnant, who are less likely to be closely examined and whose heavy clothing more readily conceals suspicious objects.8 PHR-I forwarded these patients for approval, unaware of their true status.


The Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government entered into an agreement about the borders into Gaza, which were staffed by EU monitors and by PA personnel. Hamas' coup d'etat in Gaza and its gangland-style executions of the Fatah opposition ended PA control over the borders, and Israel closed its border with the now-Hamastan entity.

Since then, mortars, rockets and missiles continued apace, oftentimes aimed at the border crossings on those days where Israel was opening them to allow in items like gasoline or medical supplies.

It's been quiet since the Gaza operation last winter. Until this last week. HaAretz reported that Hamastan once again elected to open fire on the border crossings--just as Palestinians needing medical treatment in Israel were crossing into Israel:


On Sunday, Gaza militants fired mortars at a crossing into Israel just as Palestinian patients were being transferred for treatment, a Palestinian official said.

"It's a miracle nobody was hurt," Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain said.

Two radical Palestinian groups, the Popular Front and the Democratic Front, said they fired 12 mortars at the Erez crossing. The Israel Defense Forces said about six shells exploded near the Erez crossing as the transfer was in progress.

According to the procedure, the Palestinian patients are brought to the crossing in local ambulances and transferred to Israeli ambulances for their trips to hospitals.

Now I understand the Left wing conspiracy of silence about Israeli victims of Hamastan's sporadic missile fire, but hey! aren't these so-called human rights organizations and NGOs there to protect the Palestinians?

Where's the outrage? Not a peep from Human Rights-When-Funded-By-Saudi-AntiSemites-Watch, or B'Tselem? Did you hear Doctors Without Borders condemning the attack? Or the U.N.? W.H.O.? Physicians For Human Rights-Who-Just-Shot-Themselves-In-The-Foot-By-Putting-Political-Gamesmanship-Above-Patient-Care? I googled for their condemnations in vain.

Don't hold your breath.....