3
3
2
for any inspections before sailing."
Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the
Islamist group Hamas took control of the enclave, a tiny sliver
of territory home to some 1.5 million people.
Israel bans imports of cement, steel or other building
supplies to Gaza, saying militants could use them for military
purposes. One of the vessels was to carry 15 tonnes of cement.
Israeli forces bombed then invaded Gaza in late December
2008 with a declared aim of ending cross-border rocket attacks
from the Hamas-ruled territory.
The war damaged infrastructure and hurt an economy already
hobbled by years of isolation.
(Writing by Michele Kambas, editing by Lin Noueihed)
((michele.kambas@thomsonre
uters.com;
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