The violation of the Gaza ceasefire by Palestinian groups seems to have become routine: On Tuesday afternoon yet another mortar shell landed in the western Negev.
No injuries were reported and no damage was caused in the Eshkol Regional Council, where it crashed.
At around 15:00 a loud explosion was heard near one of the communities in the western Negev, security personnel who set out to determine its cause located a Palestinian mortar shell nearby.
The 'Color Red' rocket alert siren system did not go off. Earlier on Tuesday Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the defense establishment to reopen the goods crossings into the Gaza Strip following a personal request made by Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman – despite the ongoing fire.
On Monday, Barak ruled against the reopening of Israel's goods crossings with Gaza, in wake of Sunday's mortar fire on Israel.
Palestinian gunmen fired a mortar shell at Karni crossing on noon Sunday. The rocket landed in an open area near the crossing causing no injuries or damage.
Barak's order came just 48 hours after Israel reopened the crossings, in accordance to the ceasefire agreement brokered with the militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
Sunday saw a another violation of the truce, as Palestinian snipers fired at farmers at Kibbutz Nahal Oz. No injuries or damage were reported in the incident, which was the first of its kind since the ceasefire came into effect.