Israel: Gaza Is a ‘Closed Military Zone’
June 30, 2005
JERUSALEM – The Israeli military on Thursday isolated the Gaza Strip, declaring it a “closed military zone” to prevent Jewish extremists from going in.
The army said in a statement that because of extremist violence in the past few days, “the head of the southern command … signed a closure order preventing non-residents from entering the Gaza Strip.”
Jewish extremists on Wednesday clashed with both Israeli security forces and Palestinian civilians, severely wounding a Palestinian. The army spokesman’s office said soldiers in the Gaza settlements were in the highest state of alert following Wednesday’s violence.