GAZA CITY: Israel reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after closing it to most deliveries on July 9 over months of border tensions, as relative calm returned and truce talks pressed ahead.

The crossing is a vital lifeline for Gazans and their crippled economy, but Israel had closed it to goods except for food and medicine to pressure Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The opening came as speculation mounted over negotiations mediated by Egypt and UN officials to reach a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s security cabinet reportedly met on Wedne­s­day to discuss the indirect talks, but Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said any deal must include Hamas returning the remains of two soldiers it is believed to be holding -- a major sticking point.

Lieberman warned that the crossing would again be closed if there was further violence and called on Gazans to pressure Hamas.

An AFP journalist at the goods crossing, known as Kerem Shalom, said dozens of trucks began passing into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning.

Israel also returned the fishing zone it enforces off the strip to nine nautical miles in the south of the enclave, after having reduced it. The maximum allowed for Gaza fishermen is six nautical miles in the north bordering Israel.

On July 9, Israeli authorities closed the crossing to most deliveries, partly in response to kites and balloons being flown across the border carrying firebombs to burn Israeli farmland, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

Food and medicines have been allowed through, but fuel and cooking gas had been intermittently blocked, including since Aug 2. All other goods were turned away.

The fuel ban exacerbated an electricity crisis in Gaza, which already suffers from severe power shortages and relies on generators in many cases.

UN officials have repeatedly called for the blockade to be lifted, citing deteriorating 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.

The Rafah crossing is currently only open to people, according to Egyptian sources, but a Hamas source said goods such as cement and fuel have passed through since May.

Gaza border protests broke out on March 30 and have led to months of tension. At least 169 Gazans have since been killed by Israeli fire, mostly during clashes and protests. One Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper in July.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2018