GAZA, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The Israeli army closed roads in Gaza and shut the Gaza-Egypt border following Sunday's tunnel bombing that killed five Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians.
The army's actions divided the densely populated Gaza Strip into three isolated zones.
Israeli military Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon said he did not know when the border crossing would open. Ya'alon told the annual Herzliya Conference organized by The Institute for Policy and Strategy, that any hardships the Palestinians faced was "an outcome of terror."
Hamas' and Fatah assumed responsibility for the Sunday bombing on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
The militants reportedly packed 1.5 tons of explosives in a tunnel they spent months digging under the position, highlighting Israel's difficulties in preventing Palestinians from launching attacks over and under the security fence that surrounds the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian security sources said Israeli army tanks and armored vehicles closed the major road between the central Gaza Strip town of Deir el Ballah and the southern Gaza Strip towns of Rafah and Khan Younis.
The sources said the Israeli army also closed the costal road south of Gaza city, which isolates it from the central and southern areas, restricting the movement of 1.5 million Palestinians.
