Israel to allow transfer of materials for Gaza reconstruction

A senior Palestinian official Wednesday said Israel will allow the transfer of construction materials into the Gaza Strip within two weeks under the supervision of the UN.

Mohamed Mustafa, deputy prime minister of the Palestinian unity government and the minister of national economy, told reporters that the aim of sending the materials to Gaza was to hurry up building what were destroyed by Israel during its recent offensive on Gaza, Xinhua reported.

On Tuesday, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry, said Israel and the Palestinians had reached a deal over the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, following Israel's recent seven-week offensive, dubbed Operation Protective Edge.

The envoy referred to the entry of materials needed to reconstruct the strip through the passages, assuring Israel that these would not be used for military purposes as they have in the past, like the construction of underground smuggling tunnels.

Mustafa said the new arrangement would facilitate the process of reconstruction in Gaza, noting that there was an urgent need to open all the crossings with Gaza to make the process successful.

"I hope Israel will be committed to the agreement and keep allowing materials for reconstruction through the United Nations, which will supervise the shipment of cement and other materials," Mustafa added.