Traffic is set to return to normal at the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, just days after the IDF destroyed an attack tunnel with an exit adjacent to the crossing, The Times of Israel reported on Monday.

“The [IDF’s] Southern Command completed the neutralization of the terror tunnel dug under the crossing and thwarted the threat it posed,” the army said in a statement on Monday evening.

“With the completion of the process and following an assessment of the situation, it was decided the crossing will reopen,” the military said.

The crossing is the main route through which humanitarian aid and commercial goods enter Gaza, via hundreds of tractor-trailers each day.

On Motzoei Shabbos, Israeli jets and ground forces obliterated the Hamas-dug tunnel, which the IDF said was to be used for a terrorist attack on the Kerem Shalom Crossing, an IDF installation, and gas and diesel pipelines.

Meanwhile, more details about the tunnel emerged on Monday night.

The IDF said it was built on a bigger scale than tunnels previously uncovered, measuring several dozen meters deep (3 feet to a meter), and with a height and width sufficient to let through a force of several dozen terrorists with armaments. </s> Jerusalem, Aug 15 (IANS) Israel on Wednesday reopened the key Kerem Shalom crossing with Gaza, which had remained closed to commercial imports and exports for over a month.

The closure came into force on July 9, in response to the wave of incendiary balloons and rocket attacks fired at Israel from the coastal enclave.

“The Kerem Shalom crossing will be reopened this morning for full activity,” the Israeli Defence Forces said in a post on Twitter.

“In addition, the designated fishing zone off the Gaza Strip will be expanded to nine nautical miles.”

The restrictions had severe economic consequences for Gaza, as only humanitarian aid was allowed through the crossing.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Businessmen Association in Gaza said 95 per cent of Gazan industry had been shut down due to the closure of the crossing. </s> A truck carrying goods to Palestinians arrives at Kerem Shalom crossing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

A truck carrying goods to Palestinians arrives at Kerem Shalom crossing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: SAID KHATIB/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

TEL AVIV— Israel reopened Gaza’s only commercial crossing on Wednesday, removing severe restrictions put in place last month as talks progress over a long-term cease-fire deal between the two sides.

The opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing is expected to further ease tensions as a fragile truce has largely held since intense clashes last week.

“I decided to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing ... as a clear message to the residents of the Gaza Strip: peace and quiet are worth it and violence is not,” Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s defense minister, said in a video posted on Facebook .

“The residents of Gaza have much to gain when the citizens of Israel enjoy peace and security, and much to lose when quiet is disturbed,” he added.

Israel closed the crossing on July 9 to pressure Gaza ruler Hamas to stop launching flaming balloons and kites into Israeli territory, allowing only food and sometimes fuel through as Palestinians continue to protest at the fence dividing the strip from Israel.

Hamas and Israel have also clashed, most recently on Thursday when the extremist group launched more than 200 rockets and mortars into Israel and Israel responded with waves of airstrikes aimed at what it said were Hamas military targets. Both sides have reached a series of shaky temporary cease-fires since May.

Egypt and the United Nations are mediating for a longer-term peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, but talks have been slowed by the outbreaks of violence.

Israel’s security cabinet is set to meet Wednesday to discuss a possible longer-term cease-fire arrangement. Officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups returned to Egypt on Wednesday for talks on reconciling warring Palestinian factions and reaching a long-term truce with Israel.

The Palestinian Central Council, a legislative-type body of groups in the Palestinian Liberation Organization, is also set to meet in Ramallah on Wednesday where Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will likely talk about the ongoing discussions.

Israel’s prime minister is facing pressure from the right over accepting a long-term agreement because critics say it could allow Hamas time to build up its rockets supply.

Naftali Bennett, a member of the security cabinet and the education minister, said his Jewish Home Party would oppose an agreement based on what he called temporary calm.

“After 130 days under attack and rocket fire, we must not reward terrorists without the return of our captives and our fallen. The terrorists will learn that terror pays, and Israel’s power of deterrent will be harmed,” he said in a statement.

Any long-term settlement must include arrangements for the return of Israeli citizens held in Gaza as well as the bodies of Israeli soldiers Gaza is holding, Mr. Lieberman said.

Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control more than a decade ago. The restrictions have severely harmed Gaza’s economy, plunging the strip into humanitarian crisis. Residents face critical shortages of food, electricity and medicine.

Israel defends the blockade and other restrictions as necessary for protecting its security, as Israel considers Hamas a terror organization.

Also Wednesday, Israel expanded Gaza’s allowed fishing area to nine nautical miles after it had previously curtailed it to three nautical miles. Israel controls how far out Gaza’s fisherman can fish, and sometimes decreases the radius as punishment or as a security measure.

Palestinians have been demonstrating at the border fence separating Gaza and Israel since March. The protesters are calling for the right to return to homes in what is now Israel, which Israel opposes because it would threaten the country’s Jewish majority.

The protests have often turned violent, with some people throwing Molotov cocktails, launching flaming kites and burning tires. Israel has responded to the protests with live fire, killing more than 150 people. Israel says the response is necessary to protect its border. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Wednesday opened its only cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip weeks after closing it amid a surge in violence with the Islamic militant group Hamas.

The reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing came as Egypt was stepping up efforts to broker a lasting cease-fire. It was not clear if the move was part of a broader deal in the works.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the reopening of the crossing was “a clear message to residents of the Strip: Quiet pays and violence doesn’t pay.”

Kerem Shalom is the main commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, and serves as the primary avenue for food, fuel, construction materials and aid to enter the beleaguered Palestinian territory. Israel and Egypt have imposed an economically crippling blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized control of the coastal territory from the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in 2007.

Israel says the blockade is needed to contain Hamas, a militant group that seeks its destruction. While the closure has devastated Gaza’s economy, it has failed to oust Hamas or loosen its grip on power.

In the past month, Israel and Hamas have engaged in three rounds of heavy fighting, with Hamas firing dozens of rockets into Israel and the Israeli military carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Gaza. The latest fighting ended a week ago.

Israel halted Gaza commercial imports last month, and terminated fuel shipments almost two weeks ago in response to incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza that have burned forest and farmland in southern Israel. Israel temporarily suspended fuel shipments to Gaza in July for similar reasons.

Fuel shortages in Gaza have contributed to chronic power outages that have left its 2 million residents with just a few hours of electricity a day. The United Nations had warned that the closure of the crossing would make the situation even worse.

In addition to reopening the crossing Wednesday, Israel also eased restrictions on fishing off Gaza’s coast.

“The residents of Gaza have much to gain when the citizens of Israel enjoy peace and security, and much to lose when quiet is disturbed,” Lieberman said.

Hamas is demanding an end to the decade-long blockade as a condition for a long-term truce. Israel is believed to be offering a more limited easing of the closures.

Israel is demanding a halt to all rocket fire and incendiary balloon attacks, and wants Hamas to return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers and free two Israeli civilians it is believed to be holding.

In recent months, Hamas has led regular mass protests along the border that are partly aimed at lifting the blockade. Since the protests began in March, at least 164 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including 121 protesters. During that time, a Gaza sniper killed an Israeli soldier.

Israel says it is defending its border against attempts by Hamas to infiltrate and carry out attacks. But it has come under heavy international criticism over the large number of unarmed protesters who have been killed or wounded.

Lieberman said his country “will do everything to ensure the security of the citizens of Israel, and if Hamas turns to violence again, we will respond immediately and in a much more severe manner than before.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing and the expansion of the fishing zone off Gaza, said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Guterres “is encouraged to see that those concerned have responded to calls to avoid the devastating impact of yet another conflict on the civilian population in and around Gaza,” he said.

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Jerusalem: Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, a day after the terminal was damaged during protests by Palestinians that turned violent.

Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators broke into the Gaza side of the terminal on Friday, setting a pipeline that delivers gas from Israel alight and torching a goods conveyor belt.

The violence caused damage to the terminal, where humanitarian supplies are delivered, which is estimated at more than $9 million, Israeli officials said.

“The crossing will remain closed until the damage caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment,” the Israeli military said, adding that in the meantime it will be opened for humanitarian cases only.

More than two million people are packed into the narrow coastal enclave of Gaza, where poverty and unemployment rates are high.

The incursion took place during a weekly mass protest in which thousand of Palestinians gathered along the Israel-Gaza frontier. Crowds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers and one Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire.

More than 40 Palestinians have been killed during six weeks of protests and tens of thousands of Gazans are expected at tented border encampments in the coming days.

Gaza is run by the Islamist Hamas movement, which Israel and the West designate a terrorist organization. Citing security concerns, Israel maintains tight control over its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza. </s> JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel closed the Kerem Shalom border crossing with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, a day after the terminal was damaged during protests by Palestinians that turned violent.

Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators broke into the Gaza side of the terminal on Friday, setting a pipeline that delivers gas from Israel alight and torching a goods conveyor belt.

The violence caused damage to the terminal, where humanitarian supplies are delivered, which is estimated at more than $9 million, Israeli officials said.

“The crossing will remain closed until the damage caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment,” the Israeli military said, adding that in the meantime it will be opened for humanitarian cases only.

More than two million people are packed into the narrow coastal enclave of Gaza, where poverty and unemployment rates are high.

The incursion took place during a weekly mass protest in which thousand of Palestinians gathered along the Israel-Gaza frontier. Crowds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers and one Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire.

More than 40 Palestinians have been killed during six weeks of protests and tens of thousands of Gazans are expected at tented border encampments in the coming days.

Gaza is run by the Islamist Hamas movement, which Israel and the West designate a terrorist organization. Citing security concerns, Israel maintains tight control over its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza. </s> Israel's defence minister has announced it will reopen the main cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip on Wednesday if the relative calm of recent days continues.

Avigdor Lieberman also said the fishing zone off Gaza's coast would once more be extended to 17km (9 nautical miles).

Israel shut the Kerem Shalom crossing for all but humanitarian deliveries five weeks ago in response to attacks by Palestinians along the border.

Rights groups said the move amounted to illegal collective punishment.

Kerem Shalom is the main lifeline for the 2 million people living in Gaza, and the territory's economy is almost entirely dependent on it.

The Israeli government closed Kerem Shalom on 9 July in retaliation for incendiary kite and balloon attacks by Palestinians and attempts to infiltrate its territory.

The arson attacks have sparked hundreds of fires in southern Israel since April, burning more than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of forest and farmland and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage.

Mr Lieberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they had agreed to use a "heavy hand" against the militant group Hamas, which dominates Gaza, to persuade it to end the attacks. But there have been several flare-ups in violence since then that have raised fears of a new war.

Last Wednesday night, militants fired more than 180 rockets and mortars into southern Israel and the Israeli military carried out more than 150 air strikes on "military and strategic" targets in Gaza. The escalation left three Palestinians dead and seven civilians in Israel injured.

A truce mediated by Egypt and the UN reportedly came into effect the following night, and there have been fewer reports of incendiary balloons and kites being launched since.

After meeting senior security officials on Tuesday, Mr Lieberman said: "It was decided that if the relative quiet along the Gaza border that began this week continues until tomorrow morning, the Kerem Shalom Crossing will reopen at 09:00 (06:00 GMT) tomorrow and the fishing zone will be extended back to 9 nautical miles from the coast."

The defence minister added that this was meant to be a sign to Palestinians that "maintaining the quiet is first and foremost in the interest of Gaza residents".

More than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the end of March - most during protests along the Gaza-Israel border at which thousands have expressed their support for the declared right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.

One Israeli soldier has been shot dead by a Palestinian sniper during the same period.

The reopening of Kerem Shalom comes as the United Nations and Egypt attempt to broker a long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel's finance minister confirmed a report that Mr Netanyahu had secretly met Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt in May. The two men are said to have discussed the terms for a ceasefire, the easing of the blockade of Gaza, and the rebuilding of its infrastructure.

Israel and Egypt imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Gaza when Hamas reinforced its power over the territory in 2007 by ousting its rivals, a year after winning legislative elections. The two countries say the blockade is for self-defence.

In a separate development on Tuesday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said that it might not be able to open schools for more than half a million children in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon this month because it had run out of money to pay their 22,000 teachers.

Unrwa officials said the decision by US - which has long been the agency's largest single donor - to withhold $305m (£240m) of funding this year was the main cause of the financial crisis. The Trump administration has said it will withhold funds until Unrwa makes unspecified "reforms". </s> The only goods crossing between Gaza and Israel was closed until further notice Saturday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said, after Palestinian protesters ransacked it.

The Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza was badly damaged by dozens of demonstrators late Friday during a day of protests along the border, the Israeli army said.

The Israeli side of the crossing, several hundred metres away, was not breached.

"The crossing will remain closed until the damages caused by the riots are repaired and will reopen in accordance with a situation assessment," an army statement said, saying the fuel terminal at the crossing had been rendered "totally unusable".

It accused the protesters of being "under the auspices of Hamas", the Islamist group that runs the Gaza strip, without providing evidence.

The Palestinian body in charge of coordination at the crossing confirmed the closure.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing open to transport goods into and out of Gaza, including fuel and food.

Separately Egypt opened its border crossing with Gaza -- the only one not with Israel -- for four days Saturday.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians are expected to protest along the Israeli border Monday against the moving of the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. </s> Seven hundred trucks passed through Israel’s Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza Wednesday, the first day the crossing was open since last month, following a surge in Palestinian terror attacks.

Following is a list of the trucks and goods.
Following a period of quiet, Israel reopens the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.