Israel bans entry of foreign journalists to Gaza Strip through Erez border

Amid escalating tensions with Palestinians, Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing starting from Tuesday until further notice.

"Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Palestine's Gaza Strip through the Erez (Beit Hanoun in Arabic) border crossing starting from Tuesday until further notice, the nation's Ministry of Defense Crossing Points Authority said on Tuesday," according to Sputnik News.

Erez is the only crossing which is generally used by civilians to reach the Palestinian enclave, Sputnik reported.

"Journalists are prohibited from traveling through the Erez checkpoint until further notice," the authority said in a statement.

The decision came amid the escalation of tensions between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem, including near the Al Aqsa Mosque. On Monday, the Hamas movement demanded that Israel withdraw its military from the areas of Al-Aqsa and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that more than 200 rockets were launched from Gaza toward Israel. In response, Israel struck 130 targets of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group, including two tunnels, a Hamas intelligence facility, and weapons manufacturing and storage sites.

Shortly after, the IDF wrote on Twitter that it has destroyed "a squad of Hamas terrorists operating anti-tank missiles in Gaza" and vowed to continue operations against what it described as terrorist activities, Sputnik reported.