Amid continued rocket fire and retaliatory IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip, the security establishment has been focusing its efforts on humanitarian aid.

"We have to distinguish between the civilian population and terror elements," stressed Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major-General Eitan Dangot.

Economic Boom? Strapped Gazans buy Israeli cast-off clothes AFP In Gaza City's Yarmuk market, Palestinians crowd round to make their bids at second-hand clothes shipped in from Jewish state. 'I don't care that the clothes are Israeli. I buy them because they're cheap,' says local resident Strapped Gazans buy Israeli cast-off clothes

Major-General Dangot added that Hamas continues to use the Palestinian population as human shields, especially in order to fire medium-range rockets at Israel.

"They know very well that we'll hit public institutions and have even instructed students to continue attending school," he said, adding, "How ironic that while their kids continue to attend school, they keep firing rockets deep into Israeli territory."

Meanwhile, Hamas claimed responsibility for shooting at Kerem Shalom border crossing. In a statment published on the organization's website, Hamas called the crossing a "military post" rather than a trade post.

Officials in the Israeli security establishment said in response that by perpetrating this act, Hamas was declaring that one if its goals is to sabotage the transfer of merchandise.

"This is not only an attempt to harm the Palestinian population in Gaza, but also another attempt to delegitimize Israel by forcing it to close the crossing, so that they could call it a humanitarian crisis and pressure Israel to remove the blockade," said a source in the security establishment.

"The situation in Gaza is good these days, there is no shortage of any kind, but rather economic growth in many spheres, which is the result of intense activities for the welfare of the citizens," concluded Dangot.