Mohammed

'We don't want a crossing for plates, cups and tooth brushes'

Keram Abu Salem Crossing

We watched the trucks roll into Gaza with goods Israel has not allowed in for more than three years.

And when we waved the drivers down to stop so we could see the cargo, there were those innocuous items; kids’ footballs, packets of pencils, children’s backpacks, kitchen cutlery and sewing material.

Is this a "liberalised" siege - an "easing" of the blockade?

Or is this Israel’s folly on display for the world to see?

From Thursday the goods now allowed into Gaza will include spare parts for cars, engine oil, tyres, parts for the agricultural and fishing industries, perfume and makeup.

In Gaza people see this as a minor modification of the siege.

All of these items are already available here. They come from Egypt and are smuggled through underground tunnels. This inflates the price and the quality is poor.

The Khadr family

But people in Gaza need more than goods.