Single Gaza crossing open, 24% of pre-siege level

Ma'an - One Gaza crossing will open on Thursday, Israeli officials told Palestinian crossings authorities, for the limited transport of supplies for aid agencies, along with some commercial goods and agricultural products.

Palestinian crossings liaison official Raed Fattouh said the supplies would come through the Kerem Shalom crossing, located in the southern Gaza Strip just west of the destroyed Yasser Arafat International Airport.

Fattouh said he was told to expect between 133-143 truckloads of goods, as the amount of goods entering Gaza creeps up to some 24% of the pre-siege level, up from an average of 17% before Israel decided to liberalize its siege conditions.

During a meeting between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak, the latter said there had been a "significant expansion in the number of trucks moving into Gaza with more material for the people of Gaza."

International organizations operating within Gaza echoed calls from residents, saying the introduction of supplies like ketchup and jam would not increase standard of living, amid calls for the mass increase in building supplies and the opening of crossings for export.