Israel allows cement into Gaza after 2 month ban
May 21, 2016 10:14 A.M. (Updated: May 21, 2016 10:25 P.M.)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771583

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israel allowed the entry of cement into the Gaza Strip
on Thursday evening, following a two-month ban imposed on the besieged
enclave, according to the Palestinian Authority’s department of civil
affairs.

The department’s media director, Muhammad al-Maqadma, said in a press
statement that Hussein al-Sheikh, the minister of civil affairs, had worked
on returning the entry of cement after a two-month suspension.

Al-Maqadna added that beneficiaries and sellers could reapply for access to
cement imports on Sunday, as cement trucks are expected to enter the Gaza
Strip on Monday morning via the Kerem Shalom crossing between the besieged
enclave and Israel.

Israel’s suspension of cement imports in the Gaza Strip was applied to the
private sector, while international organizations were allowed access to
cement shipments for reconstruction efforts.

A spokesperson for the Coordination of Government Activities in the
Territories (COGAT) could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Israeli authorities implemented the ban on April 3, following the
discovery of a tunnel passing from the Gaza Strip into Israel -- the first
of two to be found since Israel's devastating military offensive on the
coastal enclave in 2014 -- and accused Hamas of diverting construction
materials from its intended legitimate beneficiaries.

Israeli authorities have previously accused the Gaza Strip's de facto ruling
party Hamas of stealing reconstruction material to sell on the black market
and use to build tunnels.

However, according to OCHA, “Most of the previously entered shelter repair
and reconstruction material has already been sold to beneficiaries.”

Israel’s cement ban was widely criticized for exacerbating an already
crippling near-decade blockade on the small Palestinian enclave, as it
prevented hundreds of Gazans who were made homeless during the devastating
2014 war from rebuilding their homes, including suspending the jobs of some
40,000 workers employed in the construction sector.