Israeli authorities opened the Kerem Shalom crossing with the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to allow a single truckload of wooden furniture to be exported to Ukraine, a Palestinian official said.

Raed Fattouh told Ma’an that 280 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial and agricultural goods were also allowed to enter Gaza.

He said eight truckloads of cement, 23 loads of concrete aggregates, and two loads of iron bars for construction would enter the Strip for UN-funded projects.

Additionally, fuel was to be delivered to Gaza’s sole power plant. Domestic-use gas was also allowed to enter the besieged coastal enclave.

The Gaza Strip has been under an economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2006.

The blockade was imposed following the victory of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 clashes between Fatah and Hamas, which left Hamas in control of the Strip and Fatah in control of parts of the occupied West Bank.

The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.

(Ma’an – www.maannews.net)