Israel partially reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip Tuesday after a two-week closure prompted by border tensions and incendiary kites sparked fears of a severe fuel shortage in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.
Fuel trucks began entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing at noon, while food and medicine deliveries that had not been subject to the closure were set to continue.
But other types of goods will remain off-limits for now as Israel continues to demand a complete end to the incendiary kites and balloons.
“Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman decided that Kerem Shalom will partially reopen and as of today at 12:00 pm it will be possible to transfer gas and fuel into the Gaza Strip, in addition to food and medicine,” Lieberman’s office said.
Palestinians see the kites and balloons as legitimate resistance against Israel’s more than 10-year blockade.
Israel says the devices have sparked hundreds of fires since April and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Hamas had not responded to the partial reopening.
The Israeli move followed urgent warnings from United Nations officials that emergency fuel supplies were running low in Gaza and the shortage was beginning to affect hospitals and water sanitation.
Israel announced on July 9 that the goods crossing was being closed to most deliveries, partly in response to the firebombs and other incidents along the border fence.
On July 17, it further tightened the restrictions to also prevent fuel deliveries while reducing the fishing zone Israel enforces off Gaza from six to three nautical miles.
Israel says its blockade is necessary to keep Hamas from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used for military purposes.
But U.N. officials and rights groups have repeatedly called for the blockade to be lifted, citing worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave of two million people.
Gaza’s only other goods crossing is at Rafah on the Egyptian border.
That checkpoint had largely been kept closed in recent years, but Egypt opened it in mid-May and it is has mostly remained so since.
There have been months of tension between Israel and Hamas that saw two separate military flare-ups over the past couple of weekends.
The escalation has led to fears of another conflict between the two sides, who have fought three wars since 2008. At least 150 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli fire since mass protests along the border began March 30.
The soldier shot dead Friday was the first Israeli killed.
A Palestinian wounded in May by Israeli fire during the border protests died Tuesday of his injuries, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said.
Majid Aqeel, 26, succumbed to his wounds more than two months after being shot in northern Gaza during the mass protests May 14.
The protests, which were against the controversial opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on the same day, were the peak of months of border demonstrations.
At least 62 Palestinians were killed, making it the bloodiest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since a 2014 war.
AFP
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