Quds city, July 08, SPA -- Egypt has asked Israel to reopen border crossings with the Gaza Strip, the Associated Press reported. The border crossings were closed after Palestinians violated a 3-week-old truce, the Associated Press quoted Israeli defense officials as saying Tuesday. Israel agreed to the request, which appeared to be an attempt to prod forward the cease-fire, which was designed in part to ease Israel's crushing blockade of the coastal strip. In so doing, it suggested it might stop automatically closing the crossings in response to every truce violation. None of the attacks has caused serious injuries. Passages were expected to be opened around midday Tuesday, the Israeli defense officials said. So far the truce has not eased conditions in Gaza because of the frequent closures. Egypt mediated the truce because Israel has no contacts with Hamas.
