(JNS.org) Israel will partially resume purchasing fruit and vegetables from the Gaza Strip next week after a long halt on imports since Hamas took over the Palestinian coastal enclave in 2007. Israeli officials said the resumption will help rehabilitate the Gazan economy, which was heavily damaged during last summer’s Operation Protection Edge. It will also make up for a current shortage in domestic produce coming from Israeli farms. Jamal Abu al-Naja, director of the Gaza Vegetable Production and Export Association, said the decision “will help farmers make up for their losses, increase the number of workers, and encourage investment in the agricultural sector,” Reuters reported.