Israel allowed construction materials to enter Gaza, easing its blockade of the coastal strip despite violent demonstrations on the border and explosive-laden balloons that have sparked wildfires in southern Israel. Some 30 cement trucks, 120 trucks full of gravel and 15 trucks carrying steel entered Gaza on Tuesday, the first such materials to be allowed in to Gaza since the cross-border rocket attacks in May.
The entrance to Gaza of the materials comes despite the death on Monday of an Israel Border Police officer who was shot in the head during the demonstrations.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that Israel had restored the Gaza fishing zone to 15 nautical miles and completely opened the main commercial crossing at Kerem Shalom.
The decision comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Nafftali Bennett met in Washington with US President Joe Biden and reportedly pledged to make humanitarian gestures to the Palestinians.