Israel lets building goods into Gaza, easing postwar closure

By JOSEF FEDERMAN and WAFAA SHURAFA
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has allowed dozens of truckloads of construction materials into the Gaza Strip, easing a tight blockade it has maintained on the Hamas-ruled territory since an 11-day war in May. The imports Tuesday came during a tense period in which Hamas activists have launched incendiary balloons into Israel and staged a series of sometimes violent demonstrations along the separation fence with Israel. An Israeli soldier and two Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy and a Hamas militant, have been killed in recent clashes. Despite the tensions, Israeli officials allowed the entry of the badly needed building materials on Tuesday. The step could help calm the situation.