On Tuesday, while truckloads of food and commercial goods entered the Gaza Strip via the southernmost crossing, Kerem Shalom, the entry of construction materials remained delayed by the Israeli army.Ma’an News reported that, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, current import levels – controlled by new terms of the siege established by Israel in June 2010 – remain less than 40% of pre-siege levels.
In addition, the import of reconstruction materials, which remains strictly controlled by Israeli officials, is limited except for projects run under international supervision. According to the information given by OCHA, out of the 1.7% of building projects approved for Gaza, Israeli officials have only allowed a small fraction of the supplies needed.
