OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israel closed its goods crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after militants in the Hamas-run territory fired rockets into the Mediterranean and launched waves of incendiary balloons into the Jewish state.

The Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed until further notice to all traffic except humanitarian equipment and fuel, COGAT, the defence ministry unit that oversees the crossings, said in a statement prior to the closure. The move comes in response to "continued launching of incendiary balloons" from Gaza, it added.