Tel Aviv allowed on Sunday several traders in Gaza Strip to enter the West Bank and Israel through the Erez crossing, following months of being denied access.
The move is part of efforts to ease tensions that have lingered after the last round of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants that ended in May.
Israel decided to expand the fishing area in the Strip from six to 12 nautical miles. It also decided to allow Gazans to travel abroad through Palestinian and Israeli crossings. Israel will also allow the import of agriculture, food and electric goods into the Gaza Strip as of Sunday.
Other goods for medicine, fishing, and international trade will be transferred to the Strip.
The passage of Palestinians living in Gaza abroad will take place through Israel's border with Jordan, and 29 private vehicles will enter through the Erez crossing.
Rami Abu al-Rish, the director-general of trade and crossings for the Ministry of the Economy in Gaza, confirmed that the Coordination and Cooperation Committee of the General Authority of Civil Affairs in Ramallah informed them that electrical goods will be allowed into the strip on Monday.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had warned on Sunday of the shortage of raw materials to launch reconstruction in Gaza.
Director of UNRWA in Gaza, Sam Rose said in a press statement that the lack of raw materials for starting the reconstruction plan "was due to the closure of the only commercial crossing between Gaza and Israel."
"Reconstruction in the Gaza Strip has not started yet, and we, like many others, are deeply concerned over the continued Israeli closure of the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing point," he said.
"Some materials such as cement, concrete, and iron are not available in the local markets of Gaza," Rose said, adding that the shortage of raw materials stops and delays the reconstruction process.
Up to 1,200 housing units were destroyed in the last round of fighting in the Gaza Strip. Some 1,000 houses are badly damaged and not suitable for living. The reconstruction will cost about 165 million US dollars.
