Israel reopens sole people crossing with Gaza, week after shutting it over protest

Israel reopened its only crossing for people with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, more than a week after shutting it following a destructive Palestinian protest, AFP reports. The reopening follows several days of relative calm, and Egyptian and UN officials are attempting to broker a long-term truce between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas. A spokeswoman for the Israeli Defence Ministry unit that oversees the Erez crossing confirmed it had reopened on Thursday. On September 5, the army said hundreds of “rioters” had vandalized the Gaza side of the crossing, and that it would remain closed until the damage was repaired.