UN head fears over Gaza blockade

Aid was allowed in to Gaza on Monday but then Israel shut the crossings

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told Israeli PM Ehud Olmert he is deeply concerned about humanitarian conditions in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

In a telephone call, he urged Mr Olmert to ease the delivery of aid to the territory, Mr Ban's office said.

Israel imposed the blockade on the Gaza Strip two weeks ago amid fresh violence between militants and Israeli troops.

On Tuesday, the UN's top human rights official said the restrictions deprived Palestinians of "basic human rights".

Mr Ban's office said he had expressed his "deep concern over the consequences of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza".

International pressure

The statement said he asked for the freer movement of humanitarian supplies into Gaza and also of "concerned United Nations personnel".

"The Israeli prime minister denounced the continuing rocket fire into Israel from Gaza, but agreed to look seriously into the urgent matter raised by the secretary-general," the statement added.

Last week, Israel bowed to international pressure and allowed some industrial fuel to be delivered to Gaza's sole power plant.

On Monday it allowed in 33 truck-loads of humanitarian and other basic supplies.

Pro-Palestinian activists have defied the Israeli blockade to reach Gaza

But on Tuesday, Israel again sealed off the territory, citing continuing violence including rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel.

Defence minister Ehud Barak said that crossings into Gaza would stay closed on Wednesday after militants continued to fire rockets.

The current wave of hostilities is putting increasing pressure on a five-month-old truce between Israel and the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza.

Renewed fighting broke out two weeks ago when Israeli forces launched in incursion into Gaza to destroy what it says was a tunnel intended for use to abduct its soldiers.

Militant groups in Gaza responded with rocket fire.

'Expressing solidarity'

In other developments, the Israeli army imposed a curfew on the Palestinian village of Taqoa near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday, the AFP news agency reported.

Witnesses said that dozens of men were assembled at a school for questioning.

A military spokesman would only say that the army was engaged in "an activity" in the village.

Three foreign activists who climbed aboard Palestinian fishing boats off Gaza were being questioned by Israeli authorities on Wednesday.

Palestinian activist Amjad Shawwa said they had been expressing solidarity with Gaza fishermen whose livelihoods have been hurt by Israeli restrictions.

It is believed the foreigners' nationalities are British, US and Italian.

The Israeli military said the Palestinians and foreigners had "deviated from the fishing zone off the Gaza coast" and refused to turn back.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, called for "dignity and basic welfare" to be restored to the 1.5m people affected by the Gaza blockade.

Her comments came as Israeli troops entered the southern Gaza Strip, clashing with Palestinian gunmen there.

Israel described the incursion, close to the southern town of Rafah, as a "routine operation".