Israel will allow the entry of construction materials for projects planned by UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency) into Gaza starting Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official told the Ma’an news agency on Sunday. According to Nathmi Muhanna, the PA director of border crossings, Israel will allow cement, iron, and gravel into Gaza for the continuation of UNRWA projects. In September, Israel agreed to allow limited quantities of building materials into Gaza, which is controlled by the Hamas terror organization. Hamas “returned the favor” by building a 2.5-kilometer (1.55-mile) tunnel built which led from Gaza all the way into a kibbutz in southern Israel. After the tunnel was discovered, Israel once again temporarily stopped shipments of construction supplies into Gaza. Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers constantly claim that the region is under an “Israeli siege”, ignoring the fact that Israel continuously allows humanitarian aid and other materials into Gaza and has approved hundreds of internationally funded and monitored projects in Gaza. Recently, however, it appeared as though Gaza really was under siege, but an Egyptian one and not an Israeli one. Since the Hamas-friendly Egyptian government of Mohammed Morsi was toppled in July, Egypt's military has destroyed hundreds of the tunnels leading into Gaza, sending Gaza's economy on a steep downward spiral. While Israel has kept crossings into Gaza open for trade even when terrorists launched murderous attacks on Israelis , or bombed the crossings themselves , Egypt's approach to Gaza's Islamist terrorism is less nonsensical. Egypt’s crackdown on the smuggling tunnels has led to a fuel shortage in Gaza, resulting in long-lasting power outages.
