Israeli authorities have halted the operation of the Kerem Shalom border crossing to the Gaza Strip on Monday, an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said.

The decision was caused by “the situation in the south” - in Gaza and near its borders, where Palestinian militants and the Israeli military have exchanged missile and rocket strikes for the last week, she said.

Palestinian authorities confirmed that the cargo flow has been suspended.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing on the Israel-Gaza border used for commercial and humanitarian cargo shipments.

According to Israeli authorities, more than 1,200 cargo trucks went to Gaza between June 10 and 16, delivering 34,000 tons of various supplies.