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Israel shuts, then opens, Gaza Strip crossings By Haaretz Correspondent and AP , By Yuval Azoulay Israel closed the crossings into the Gaza Strip yesterday morning in response to the mortar attack by Palestinian militants Tuesday, but reopened them later in the afternoon, following a telephone conversation between Egypt's chief of intelligence, Omar Suleiman, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Suleiman, who is also mediating the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the possible prisoner exchange involving abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, asked that the crossings be kept open for the transfer of fuel and supplies, despite the violation of the calm by militants. Advertisement A short while prior to the reopening of the crossings another mortar shell was fired against Israel, exploding in fields and causing no injuries or damage. In addition to the fuel and supplies being allowed into the Gaza Strip, yesterday for the first time in many months, three Israeli Arab doctors who are members of Physicians for Human Rights, were allowed into the Strip, where they will provide medical treatment for patients. Also yesterday morning, a joint investigation was concluded between senior IDF and Egyptian officers into a shooting incident on the border early Tuesday, in which an Egyptian was killed. The investigation concluded that an Egyptian force involved in preventing smugglers from crossing into Israel was in pursuit of suspected Bedouin smugglers, who exchanged gunfire with the Egyptian troops. The Egyptian officer was hit in the abdomen and died. However, during the incident the Egyptians crossed into Israel and an IDF patrol thought that the gunfire was being directed against them, and responded in kind. The two sides acknowledged this was a very serious incident and vowed to work to prevent similar misunderstandings from occuring in the future. Meanwhile, Hamas will resume its talks with Egyptian mediators on its fragile truce agreement with Israel, including a possible prisoners' swap, a senior Hamas leader said yesterday. The former Hamas foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, arrived in Egypt ahead of a Hamas delegation expected late yesterday from Syria for talks with Suleiman. He said the talks will also tackle the fate of Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas wants to swap for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. "We want to discuss all the circumstances surrounding the tahadiyeh [calm]," Zahar told reporters on arrival. He said Hamas leaders will specifically press for reopening the crossing at Rafah, connecting the Gaza Strip and Sinai. Palestinians have violated the three-week-old truce several times, and Israel has closed the crossings in response to the violations. In all, 13 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza since the truce began, the latest a mortar shell fired on Tuesday. In response, Israel has kept the crossings closed about half of the time since the truce took effect on June 19. Zahar said Hamas leaders will discuss recent Israeli proposals for the prisoners' swap conveyed to Cairo by Ofer Dekel, the senior Israeli official charged with negotiating the release of three abducted IDF soldiers - two held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has balked at Hamas' demands for a large-scale release of Palestinian prisoners, including many convicted of deadly attacks. Egypt is reportedly working to bring Israel and Hamas into proximity talks to negotiate the release of Shalit and bolster a Gaza truce. Bookmark to del.icio.us   By the numbers A study shows Jewish Israeli men live almost four years longer than Israeli Arabs. Local threat The Shin Bet arrests two Bedouin, accused of supplying information to al-Qaida.

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