The Israeli army imposed total closure on the Gaza Strip and West Bank on Thursday night, and police in city centers placed on "very high alert" as the Jewish "Purim" holiday weekend approaches amid threats from Hamas of vengeance for this week's assassination of three Hamas activists.
According to Haaretz, a Qassam rocket landed in the southern town of Sderot on Friday morning, damaging four stores. At around the same time, Palestinians opened fire near the Gaza Strip settlement of Morag. There were no injuries in either incident, Israel Radio reported.
The decision to impose the closure was made by Israel's Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, due to fears of attacks over the holiday. The closure is due to last until Tuesday morning, after the holiday ends.
The Tel Aviv district police were planning beefed up security for Purim events in the region. Some 2,000 police officers, volunteers, Israeli were to be among the security forces deployed in cities as of Friday morning.
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
