Israel's defense authority will allow 30 truckloads of humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday, local news service Ynet reported on its website.
Most of the equipment will be brought to the Strip by international aid agencies, said the report, adding that the decision to allow aid to enter Gaza, despite the continued rocket attacks on Israel, was made following another defense establishment discussion on the matter.
The aid sent to Gaza will include humanitarian equipment, food and medications. However, it was decided that fuel and other goods would not be allowed into the enclave until further notice.
Attacks on Israel continued all through the weekend, and Sunday afternoon a Color Red alert was sounded in Israeli communities near Gaza. Residents entered bomb shelters and a rocket landed in the yard of a house, lightly wounding one of the residents.
Earlier on Sunday, two Qassam rockets were fired from Gaza, landing near a kibbutz in the Eshkol Regional Council. The Israel Air Force attacked a Qassam launching cell in response, killing four gunmen and injuring at least six.
Despite the recent flare-up between Israel and Gaza militants, increased international pressure has been placed on Israel to allow humanitarian equipment into Gaza in recent days.
Amnesty International urged Israeli government to put an end to what they called its "policy of collective punishment", and said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was becoming more severe.
European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner also said she was "profoundly concerned about the consequences for the Gazan population of the complete closure of all Gaza crossings for deliveries of fuel and basic humanitarian assistance" and called on Israel to reopen the border crossings.
Source: Xinhua
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