Israel to allow cement into Gaza for first time since war
Israel will allow a one-time transfer of cement into Gaza for the first time since its war in the Hamas-ruled enclave and amid a new US peace push in the region, officials said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak okayed the transfer of more than 310 tonnes of cement for rebuilding a flour mill, a sewage treatment facility and the British cemetery, one defence official said.
The one-off consignment will also include some steel and is expected to be transferred "in the coming weeks," he said.
Many buildings in Gaza remain in ruins since Israel’s December-January offensive because of an acute shortage of construction materials that can only officially enter Gaza through Israel-controlled crossings.
Published under Cement News
