Israel's security cabinet has agreed to ease the land blockade imposed on Gaza following an international outcry over a deadly raid on an aid flotilla convoy.

"It was agreed to liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza (and) expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision," an official statement said on Thursday.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Jerusalem said that the statement made no reference to the naval blockade on Gaza, and did not specify any product list.

"Looking at the statement in its entirety, the international community cannot be please with this, as they have been asking for a lifting of the blockade."

The announcement appeared to indicate that Israel would allow international organisations, such as the UN, to import previously banned building materials, vital to reconstruction after the Gaza war.

The security cabinet, which began its discussions to ease the embargo on Wednesday, noted that "existing security procedures to prevent the inflow of weapons and war material" would continue.

'End seige completely'

Ahmed al-Kord, from the Hamas-government's ministry of social affairs, said that this statement by Israel was "just propaganda".
"It is the result of the international pressure against the Israelis about the siege," al-Kord said.

He said that only 130 of 4000 items of basic supplies are allowed in: "Our request is that the border should be open completely. This new Israeli system is not acceptable."

Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas leader, also dismissed this as an attempt to "relieve the pressure" following the flotilla incident.

"We in Hamas reject the Zionist decision, which is an attempt to obscure the international decision to completely lift the siege on the Gaza Strip."

Under pressure

Israel faced mounting international callsto ease or lift its Gaza embargo following the killing by Israeli commandos of nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists during the interception at sea of an aid convoy on May 31.

Israeli leaders said the troops acted in self-defence after being swarmed by activists who attacked them.

But preliminary autopsy reports revealed that the nine activists were shot a total of 30 times, some in the back of the head or in the back.

Israel says that the blockade, that the Red Cross was described as illegal, is necessary to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas.

Israel imposed the blockade soon after Hamas won a Palestinian legislative election in 2006.

Restrictions were tightened after Hamas seized power in Gaza the following year.

PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian fishermen return from sea to the Gaza Seaport, June 14, 2010.

Al-Jazeera