Economic conditions are worsening in the Gaza Strip and will continue to decline in face of the rocket attack initiating from Gaza into Israel early Monday.

In response to the four-rocket attack, Israeli military aircraft took on targets in the Gaza Strip hitting a rocket launch site and two weapons storage facilities. No injuries were reported in the attacks.

Although rocket attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip have declined since the deadly military confrontation in November, they have not ceased altogether.

The rocket attack did have other consequences. In response to the rocket attacks Israel closed down the only commercial Israeli crossing to the Gaza Strip on Monday. They announced that the crossing will be closed down until further notice.

Since March, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has stepped up his country’s campaign to close down smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. He did so after Islamic militants attacked Egyptian forces in the Sinai. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip was closed temporarily as well.

Hundreds of tunnels have been closed down and some have been intentionally flooded, leaving between 50 and 70 tunnels operational. The closure of the tunnels have forced the Palestinians to rely on goods imported across the Israeli-Gaza crossing which has now also been closed.

With the re-opening of the Rafah crossing two days ago, some goods and fuel will flow into the country but not in the numbers needed to turn the economy around anytime soon.

The fuel prices have skyrocketed in the region as less and less fuel is imported into the country, and many of the inhabitants have been without cooking gas for weeks. Building materials are now almost non-existant, and the materials still in the region have tripled in price. Food entering the Gaza Strip is down sharply as what tunnels are left crossing under the Sinai are being used mainly to bring in weapons and supplies to the militants. A large portion of the inhabitants in the strip rely on U.N. food to survive.

With almost all economic lifelines closed down, conditions on the Strip, which is bordered by Israel to the north and east and by Egypt to the south, will continue to worsen for the 1.64 million people there.

There is no news as to when the Iraeli crossing will re-open.