GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — For the first time in six years, Israel has allowed building materials to enter the besieged Gaza Strip as a result of international pressure. The decision comes amid Gaza’s economic crisis following several months of tight measures by the Egyptian army to control the smuggling of goods through the border tunnels.
On Sept. 22, the first truckloads of construction materials — including cement, reinforced steel and gravel — entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing — the only commercial crossing between the Strip and Israel. The entry of building materials was limited to international institutions carrying out construction projects in the Gaza Strip, in the hope of addressing the dire economic situation.
