Gaza City/Tel Aviv - Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip intensified their rocket attacks against Israel Wednesday, as a six-month ceasefire is about to expire.

Seven Gaza-made rockets were launched at Israel's southern Negev desert, one of which hit a hothouse, a military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said.

Israel had again closed its border crossings with the Gaza Strip Tuesday, after the radical Islamic Jihad faction fired four rockets into its territory.

A truce brokered by Egypt on June 19 between Israel and Palestinian militant factions active in Gaza, including the radical Hamas movement ruling the strip, is entering its last day Thursday.

Gaza City - Israel re-closed its border crossings with Gaza Tuesday after militants from the strip fired more rockets into its territory.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak cancelled the authorization he had given to international agencies which were planning to drive trucks with basic humanitarian aid into the strip later in the day.

"We are not afraid of an operation in Gaza and we are not running toward an operation in Gaza. Calm will be met with calm," Barak told reporters while touring in northern Israel Tuesday.

Gaza City - The radical Islamist Hamas movement has put its forces and supporters on alert prior to celebrating its 21st anniversary in Gaza Strip, Hamas on Saturday said in a statement.

Hamas was created on December 15, 1987.

Hamas deployed its policemen on the main streets of the Gaza Strip, which it has been controlling since June 2007. The policemen also took up positions around vital areas inside Gaza City.

Deposed Hamas premier Ismail Haniya plans to deliver a speech before supporters on Sunday to mark Monday's anniversary.

Gaza City  - Around 70,000 Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civil servants got their salaries paid Thursday night after Israel agreed to transfer 100 million shekels (25 million dollars) to the Gaza Strip.

The PA Monetary Authority in the West Bank said in a statement sent to reporters that the Israeli currency arrived in Gaza Thursday evening.

Gaza City - Upping the rhetoric against the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, Israeli leaders hinted Tuesday that a strike against the Islamist movement in the salient could be launched in order to end rocket attacks on southern Israel.

"The state of Israel cannot live under these conditions in the long term," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said while touring towns and villages along the Gaza border, which are frequent targets of missiles militants fire from the strip.