The Defense Ministry on Sunday said it plans to reopen the Erez border crossing, the main pedestrian crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, following a week of relative calm along the volatile southern border.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said he had ordered the crossing reopened after consultations with the IDF and intelligence agencies, as the number of violent incidents on the Gaza-Israel border had been a "significantly reduced."
The Defense Ministry issued a statement saying, "In light of the security calm that was upheld over the past week and the significantly reduced [number of] incidents, it was decided to reopen Erez crossing."
The decision comes amid efforts by Egypt to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that rules Gaza, following weeks of intense violence at the border.
The sides have come close to serious conflict in recent weeks, as terrorists have fired hundreds of rockets at Israel, which responded with airstrikes.
