Key issues

• The Rafah crossing, the principal gateway from Gaza to the outside world for 1.6 million people, was reopened in one direction on 10 August and on both directions on 14 August, allowing around 5,400 people to return to Gaza and another 780 to cross into Egypt (between 10 and 14 August). The crossing was closed between 6 and 9 August, following an attack on an Egyptian military base in Sinai.
• Tunnel activity under the border between Gaza and Egypt resumed only partially. The total halt in the transfer of goods for about three days resulted in fuel shortages and in a rise in the prices of building materials. Fuel shortages triggered power cuts throughout the Gaza Strip that reached up to 16 hours per day.
• Israeli settler attacks resulted in damage to around 100 trees in the Ramallah area.