JERUSALEM — Israel has started allowing long-banned building materials into the Gaza Strip, its first key concession to Hamas rulers under a cease-fire that ended eight days of intense fighting last month, the military said yesterday.
Israel offered an added incentive as well, saying shipments will continue and a 5-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory may be eased even further if the border remains quiet.
“The longer the calm persists, the more we’ll weigh additional easings of restrictions,” said military spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar. “Now we’re talking about a permanent easing.”
A Hamas official described the quantity sent so far as “cosmetic,” and Gaza economists said it would take years of round-the-clock shipments to make a dent in the gap left by the five years of blockade.
Israel imposed a land and naval embargo on Gaza after the Islamic militant Hamas took over by force in 2007. Although it eased the land embargo in 2010, building materials continued to be largely banned.