Israel has ordered the closure of Sufa, Nahal Oz and Karni crossings [AFP]

All Palestinians who need medical treatment will be allowed into Egypt, and those who have residency in Gaza will be allowed safe passage from Egypt, officials said.

Palestinians returning from outside of Egypt will also be allowed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, Nabil Amr,a Palestinian diplomat said, adding that the decision was "humanitarian", and in "response to appeals from stranded Palestinians".

The move followed talks on Sunday between Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief of intelligence.

Crossing closure

Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, on Tuesday ordered most of Gaza's crossings to remain closed after two Qassam rockets were fired from northern Gaza into an open area in the western Negev, according to Israel's Ynetnews.

The Sufa crossing - re-opened briefly by Israel on Sunday to allow the passage of commercial goods, after being closed last week in response to Palestinian rocket fire - is to remain closed after what Israel said was a "violation" of a recent six-month ceasefire, signed between Israel and Hamas.

The Nahal Oz fuel terminal and the Karni crossing will also remain closed, but the Erez crossing, used for passage of diplomats, journalists, and Gazans requiring medical care in Israel or abroad only, will remain open.

Taher Nunu, a Hamas spokesman, said on Monday that rocket attacks during the ceasefire did not constitute "a national act intending to break the ceasefire".

But Israeli security officials said the move sends a clear message to Hamas that Israel will not ignore the repeated "ceasefire violations".

"Currently we are responding [to the violations] by closing the crossings, but if needed we'll respond in a different manner," one Israeli official said.

Egyptian mediation

Egypt brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Under the six-month deal, which began on June 19, rockets fired into southern Israel by Palestinians were to stop, while the Israelis would halt incursions into territory.

However, last week a Palestinian faction - which did not sign the truce - fired three rockets at Israel in what it said was revenge for the death of one of its commanders in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops in the West Bank.

The Egyptian mediated truce does not extend to the West Bank, where Israel has turned its military attention.

The Rafah crossing is the main gateway for Gaza's 1.4 million people to travel abroad.

It was sealed after Hamas seized control of Gaza, forcing Abbas's Fatah movement out one year ago.

In January, Hamas blew up the border wall between Egypt and Gaza, allowing thousands of people to move in and out of Egypt for nearly two weeks before it was resealed.

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