For the first time since the cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas movement took effect on May 21, Israel has allowed the entry of building materials to the private sector in the Gaza Strip. Israel had demanded the release of four Israelis detained by Hamas in Gaza before authorizing the reconstruction of the besieged enclave.

The Gaza Strip is inhabited by more than 2 million Palestinians and has been besieged by Israel since the summer of 2006. The delayed reconstruction has exacerbated the suffering of the owners of houses and facilities that were damaged or destroyed in May.

On Aug. 25, Israel announced a series of goodwill measures and eased some of the restrictions at the Gaza crossings. The office of Israel’s Coordinator on Government Activities in the Territories said in a Facebook post, “After assessing the security situation and following the approval of the political authority, it has been decided to expand the entry of equipment and goods for civil and international projects in the Gaza Strip.” It noted that these steps are conditional on maintaining security and stability.

The Palestinian factions rejected the Israeli measures and formed groups known as "night confusion units" to disturb settlers on the Gaza border. On Aug. 29, young men from the night confusion units set fire to tires, detonated sound grenades near the Maleka Camp area in eastern Gaza and directed laser beams at the Israeli military watchtowers across the border to pressure Israel to end its siege on Gaza.