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COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said in a statement that the government-approved expanding the Gaza Strip’s fishing zone, opening the Kerem Shalom Crossing, increasing water supply to the territory, and increasing the number of Gazan merchants allowed to enter Israel. It said these steps were “conditional upon the continued preservation of the region’s security stability for the long term.” An Israeli soldier who was shot by a protester on Aug. 21 died of his wounds on Monday. Two Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy and a Hamas militant, have also been killed from Israeli gunfire during recent protests along the border. Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007, a year after winning a Palestinian election. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas, an Islamic militant group sworn to Israel’s destruction, from rearming, while critics say the closure amounts to collective punishment. The blockade, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, has devastated Gaza’s economy.
Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since 2008, and Israel has tightened the blockade since the latest fighting in May.